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Follow These Lifestyle Habits to Avoid a Dental Emergency

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A dental emergency is defined as an issue that requires immediate care. These can range from pain, swelling, and abscesses to fractured, lost, or chipped teeth due to trauma. While the team at Volterra Dental is here to help you with same-day emergency dental care, we hope you can avoid a dental emergency.

With that in mind, we’ve put together a list of lifestyle habits you can adopt to prevent those dental emergencies that are avoidable.

Practice daily dental hygiene

While breaking a tooth from falling or getting hit in the face may be the first image that comes to mind when you think of dental emergencies, it is common for dental emergencies to be related to basic dental health issues such as pain associated with cavities or decay.

You can head off most decay or at least slow it by practicing a daily dental hygiene routine that includes both brushing and flossing.

You know you should brush and floss on a daily basis, but you may want to discuss your daily hygiene with our team at Volterra Dental. Depending on your current dental health, including the strength in your soft tissue and teeth, you may need to adjust the hardness or type of toothbrush you use.

Schedule regular dental checkups

Checkups and cleanings allow us to detect problems with your teeth and gums before they become an emergency. Not only can we find cavities before they become painful, we can also find small fractures or weak spots that may cause a chipped or broken tooth if untreated.

You may have heard you should have a dental exam at least once a year or every six months. Actually, the American Dental Association suggests you create a personalized dental care plan with your dentist. Why? Because some people only need yearly exams, while others may need more frequent visits if they have a naturally high level of oral bacteria or weak enamel.

Practice stress relief

Many oral issues are caused or exacerbated by things you may do when you experience stress. Biting your nails, clenching your jaw, chewing on your pen, and grinding your teeth can lead to jaw pain and weakened teeth. Constant snacking can cause cavities.

These can all ultimately create an emergency situation if you crack a tooth or stress the nerves in the back of your jaw.

While many people simply try to interrupt these stress-related activities, it is easier to stop them by reducing your stress. If you cannot eliminate sources of stress in your life, you might consider ways to relieve stress such as regular exercise, yoga, massage, or therapy.

Use the correct tools, not your teeth

Get in the habit of using an appropriate tool for each task. Don’t use your teeth to open or rip apart items, which puts unnecessary stress on them. You should only use your teeth for consuming food.

When it comes to opening packaging or cutting stray strings, reach for the scissors or other appropriate tools, and you could likely prevent a dental emergency.

Check your food before you eat

Biting down on unexpected hard items such as nut shells or bones is a common cause of cracked molars. Prepare your own food carefully and adjust your chewing patterns. Chewing more slowly allows you to detect hard pieces before you crunch down on them, which can prevent these cracks and chips.

While we look forward to working with you to protect your teeth and prevent dental emergencies, sometimes they are unavoidable. If you are experiencing pain or have another dental emergency, make an appointment with Volterra Dental by calling or using the online request form on this website.