6 Ways to Avoid Dental Emergencies Over the Holidays
Dental emergencies in Phoenix don’t go on vacation during the holiday season. You can still encounter problems which put a serious damper on your holiday joy. Here are six things you can do to avoid dental emergencies in Mesa over the holidays.
Table of Contents
Have Your Dental Work Completed Prior to the Holidays
One of the best ways to avoid having dental emergencies over the holiday season is to have all of your dental work completed prior to the holidays. While you may be busy shopping for Christmas or finishing up work projects before the end of the year, making time for your dental care is extremely important. If you feel pain in your mouth, make an appointment and have your teeth looked at. If you have a cavity, don’t put off filling it until after the holidays; do it beforehand. Having your dental work completed prior to the holiday season helps prevent severe pain from developing or an abscess forming.
Be Cautious of Items You Bite Into
A common problem that dentists see during the holiday season is chipped or fractured teeth. At holiday parties or gatherings, people bite into food they’re not familiar with. If you try a new food at a party, bite into it slowly and cautiously. For example, your host may serves olives that are not pitted or cherries with the pits still into them. If you bite into them in an aggressive manner, you may chip your tooth.
Never Use Your Teeth to Open Items
Speaking of chipping or breaking your teeth, another way this happens is by using your teeth to open things. Your teeth are not bottle openers, scissors or nut crackers. Do not use your mouth to force tops off of bottles, crack a nut open or try to open a hard piece of plastic. Get the right tool and spare your teeth from damage.
Limit Sticky, Chewy or Gummy Items
During the holiday season, people indulge in a lot of sticky, chewy or gummy items. If you have old fillings, crowns, bridges or other similar dental work, you need to be extremely cautious if you decide to eat these foods. They can pull your dental work out of place. Even those with no major dental work should limit these items as they can stick to teeth and lead to cavities forming.
Keep Sports and Games Fun
Many families indulge in sports and games during the holiday season. You may start out playing a friendly game of basketball or start off by tossing a football around. However, things can quickly escalate. Before you know it, your family is playing a competitive game where elbows are being thrown. Teeth can easily be knocked out during competitive sports games when the proper teeth guards and helmets are not worn. When you play sports and games with your family this holiday season, keep the game fun and light to protect everyone from injury, including dental injuries.
Make Time for Your Oral Health
Lastly, be sure to make time for your oral health during the holiday season. At this time of year, people are busy rushing around. It’s easy to fall asleep before brushing your teeth or put off flossing for a few days. However, this easily leads to more dental problems in the future. Drink plenty of water at holiday parties, limit your sugar intake, and brush and floss regularly during the holiday season to keep your teeth as healthy as possible.
Conclusion
If you experience a dental emergency in Mesa or Phoenix over the holiday, you need access to dental care as quickly as possible. At Dental Brothers, we can help you with your emergency dental needs all year long, including during this time of year. Call us if you need immediate care! We’ll help get you well again you so you can make the most of the rest of your holiday season.
