How to Avoid Holiday Dental Emergencies
When enjoying the holidays with those close to you, any form of distraction isn't welcomed. The pain from dental emergencies when traveling or dental offices are closed for holidays can be excruciating. By planning ahead and taking care of your oral health, you can avoid holiday dental emergencies.
Here's what you need to do:
Avoid crunching
Many people are tempted to crunch up ice cube leftovers after finishing an ice-cold beverage. Sadly, the combination of the extremely cold temperature and brittle, hard texture causes your enamel to develop microscopic cracks. It can be very painful. Crunching ice cubes after eating hot food is even worse. Crunching candy is also highly discouraged because it causes the development of cracks and leaves your teeth susceptible to decay.
Avoid sticky foods
Eating sticky foods risks pulling off your crown or dislodging your filling. Having an unprotected tooth for one of the year's biggest meals is the last thing you want.
Floss and brush correctly
You might brush your teeth twice every day. However, do you brush them correctly? When brushing, divide your mouth to quadrants. On each quadrant, spend at least 20 seconds.
Don't brush your teeth immediately after eating. Wait for at least 30 minutes. By brushing too soon, acids in your foods can cause your teeth's surface to be vulnerable to abrasion.
Always use a brush that has soft bristles. Brush your teeth gently without too much pressure. Using a toothbrush with hard bristles and exerting too much pressure damages your teeth's enamel. It can leave them prone to bacteria, which can result in a nasty toothache eventually.
Put on a night guard
Grinding teeth at night can really destroy your teeth. Excessive grinding wears down your teeth's enamel, which can cause decay or broken teeth. By putting on a custom-fit night guard, you can prevent your lower and upper teeth from touching each other, thus preventing grinding.
Put on an athletic mouth guard
During the holidays, you might participate in sports such as skateboarding, ice hockey, or football. Wearing a mouth guard goes miles in protecting your teeth. Sports mouth guards protect your teeth from injuries.
Complete your dentistry appointments before the holidays
Have you been putting off your dental treatments? Completing them prior to the year's end is advantageous. First of all, by staying on top of your dental treatments, you'll be able to keep off unnecessary dental emergencies. Secondly, you'll be able to maximize on your benefits before they turn over to the following year. Lastly, it gives you peace of mind.
While preventing all dental emergencies can be tricky, you can employ the above preventive measures to avoid dental emergencies in the holidays.