{"id":98,"date":"2023-03-21T19:49:00","date_gmt":"2023-03-21T19:49:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.drsanker.com\/blog\/?p=98"},"modified":"2023-04-21T19:52:46","modified_gmt":"2023-04-21T19:52:46","slug":"5-tips-to-prevent-dental-emergencies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.drsanker.com\/blog\/2023\/03\/21\/5-tips-to-prevent-dental-emergencies\/","title":{"rendered":"Must-Know Tips to Avoid a Dental Emergency"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-99\" src=\"https:\/\/www.drsanker.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/appointment-2-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"Dentist appointment and toothbrush on calendar\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.drsanker.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/appointment-2-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.drsanker.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/appointment-2.jpg 521w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>You may never expect it to happen to you, but dental emergencies are quite common. 1 in 6 Americans has a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.drsanker.com\/emergency-dentist.html\">dental emergency<\/a> every year. Accidents can happen with no warning, but trauma isn&#8217;t the only culprit of emergency dental problems. Believe it or not, many result from preventable issues, like untreated decay. Here are 5 ways you can safeguard your smile to lessen your risk of needing an emergency dentist.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Visit Your Dentist Every 6 Months<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Brushing and flossing alone won&#8217;t keep your teeth and gums healthy. The American Dental Association also recommends a cleaning and checkup every 6 months, even if you don&#8217;t have any current oral health concerns.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Visiting your dentist regularly allows them to monitor your oral health to detect any issues while they are still small. As a result, they can be addressed quickly to prevent them from turning into a big problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Don\u2019t Delay Dental Work<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Money is tight for many people right now, which can mean delaying dental work. If you&#8217;ve been delaying dental treatments, you&#8217;re opening the door to an oral health emergency.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s better to have issues resolved while they are still small to prevent them from worsening. Not only will you require less invasive and costly treatment, but you&#8217;ll also prevent irreversible damage to your smile, like tooth loss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Wear a Mouthguard<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Mouthguards give your smile an added layer of protection. There are many types, depending on your needs. An athletic mouthguard provides a protective barrier for your teeth and gums in case there&#8217;s trauma to your mouth. It significantly lessens your risk of broken or knocked-out teeth, jaw injuries, and concussions.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you have a habit of grinding or clenching your teeth, a nightguard can provide a cushion between your top and bottom arches to absorb the friction.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Break Bad Oral Habits<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Your teeth are protected by the hardest substance in your body, but your enamel isn&#8217;t indestructible. Certain bad habits can land you in the dentist&#8217;s chair, like chewing on your fingernails or using your teeth to loosen bottle lids. It&#8217;s best to break any bad oral habits to keep dental emergencies at bay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. Don\u2019t Ignore Dental Pain<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Contrary to common belief, an occasional toothache is not normal. Any dental pain is often a symptom of an underlying problem, like weakened enamel, a fracture, or a cavity. Whether you have temporary sensitivity or a toothache that comes and goes, don&#8217;t ignore any dental pain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can&#8217;t always stop a dental emergency from occurring, but you can reduce your risk of needing a dentist in a hurry by taking a few precautions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About Dr. Robert J. Sanker<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.drsanker.com\/meet-the-dentist.html\">Dr. Sanker<\/a> earned his dental degree from the Georgetown University School of Dentistry and continued his education to become a specialist in prosthodontics. He has the qualifications and experience to treat the most complex oral health issues. If you need an emergency dentist, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.drsanker.com\/request-an-appointment.html\">request an appointment<\/a> through our website or call (301) 463-4232.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>You may never expect it to happen to you, but dental emergencies are quite common. 1 in 6 Americans has a dental emergency every year. Accidents can happen with no warning, but trauma isn&#8217;t the only culprit of emergency dental problems. Believe it or not, many result from preventable issues, like untreated decay. Here are [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.drsanker.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.drsanker.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.drsanker.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.drsanker.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.drsanker.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=98"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.drsanker.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":100,"href":"https:\/\/www.drsanker.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98\/revisions\/100"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.drsanker.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=98"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.drsanker.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=98"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.drsanker.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=98"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}