Making minor changes to your daily habits can lessen your chances of suffering a dental emergency

Oral trauma and dental damage can often prove to be very painful and might require invasive treatments and specialist care. While you can never fully prevent something like a dental fracture, knocked out tooth, chipped tooth enamel, or a soft oral tissue injury, there are still things you can do to lessen your chances of suffering a dental emergency.

If you engage in contact sports or rigorous athletic activities, you need to use a protective mouth guard at all the appropriate times. If you’re uncomfortable with the mouth guards you find on store shelves, Dr. Victor Zeines might be able to fit you for a custom mouth guard. This can be molded to the unique shape of your mouth to provide maximum comfort and passage of air.

Grinding your teeth while you sleep can also cause a wide range of damage to the tooth enamel of multiple teeth. This could also contribute to TMJ disorder problems in the joints that hinge your jaw. These problems can often be prevented by sleeping with a dental guard in your mouth.

Tobacco users should note that even occasional tobacco use can pose a significant threat to your oral health. It can affect the health of your gums, and stain tooth enamel. It can also increase your chances of suffering oral and pharyngeal cancer.

You might want to also consider stocking your first-aid kits with a few common oral healthcare items like waxed floss, salt packets and topical oral analgesic. If something does happen to you or someone near you, these items can help you apply timely first-aid.

If you live in the Shokan, New York area and you have further questions about how to prevent dental emergencies, you can always call 845-657-2322 to speak to Dr. Victor Zeines or a member of Woodstock & Manhattan Institute for Holistic Dentistry’s staff.