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With the end of summer nearing, are you prepared to handle potential dental emergencies? With the pool open, soccer games, and an increase in physical activity before school begins again, it is no wonder that most injuries happen during summer months. Summer is a great time to remain active, but it is also the time when accidents and dental emergencies are most likely to occur. If you or your child experiences a dental emergency, stay calm, act fast and contact your dentist right away. Take Precautions There are a variety of simple precautions you can take to avoid accident and injury to your teeth. One way is to avoid chewing ice, popcorn kernels and hard candy, all of which can crack your tooth. When participating in various sports or other outdoor activities, a mouth guard is important to prevent injury to your mouth. A mouth guard is a flexible appliance made out of plastic that is worn in athletic and recreational activities to protect teeth from trauma. In order to protect your mouth from injury, the dental profession unanimously supports the use of mouth guards in a variety of sports activities because more than 200,000 injuries to the mouth and jaw occur each year. A mouth guard can prevent serious injuries such as concussions, cerebral hemorrhages, incidents of unconsciousness, jaw fractures and neck injuries by helping to avoid situations where the lower jaw gets jammed into the upper jaw. Mouth guards are also effective in moving soft tissue in the oral cavity away from the teeth, which helps to prevent lacerations and bruising of the lips and cheeks. Swimming and Diving The summer brings way to a host of sporting events, especially swimming and diving. Frequent swimmers may be at risk for developing yellowish-brown or dark brown stains on their teeth. If you swim for more than six hours a week, you are continually exposing your teeth to the chemically treated water. Pool water contains chemical additives, which give the water a higher pH than saliva. The result is the quick breakdown of salivary proteins, which forms organic deposits on teeth. This is commonly referred to as "simmers' calculus," which appears more frequently on the front teeth and can typically be removed with professional dental cleaning. Scuba diving is commonly enjoyed by more than 4 million people in the United States, and can lead to jaw joint pain, gum tissue problems or pain in the center of the tooth. These symptoms are referred to as "diver's mouth syndrome," which is a condition caused by the change in air pressure experienced while scuba diving and by divers biting too hard on their scuba air regulators. Pain in the center of the tooth, otherwise known as "tooth squeeze," is caused by the change in air pressure, particularly if a diver has a big cavity, a temporary filling, gum disease, periodontal abscess or incomplete root canal therapy. The best way to prevent these problems from occurring is to visit your dentist before scuba diving to make sure your dental health is in proper shape. Injuries to the mouth and teeth can be significantly reduced if proper action is taken as soon as the injury occurs. Contact your dentist in Islip for more information about their emergency hours and what to do in case of an emergency.
Sean Hartmen writes for Dr. Joseph Morris, an experienced Islip cosmetic dentist. Dr. Morris and his experienced staff offer a full array of general and cosmetic dental services including Invisalign, veneers, teeth whitening and implants in Islip, and are committed to delivering the highest quality of care to every patient they serve.
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