How to Avoid Dental Emergencies: Simple Tips for a Healthy Smile

Avoiding dental emergencies is crucial, and there are tips you need to know. Hi everyone, my name is Whitney, and I’m a registered dental hygienist here to talk about avoiding dental emergencies. We all know that any type of tooth emergency can be a real pain—literally. But what many people don’t know is that most of these emergencies can be avoided with three simple tips.

Tip 1: Protect Your Teeth with Guards

Starting with number one: protect your teeth with guards. If you’re into sports, wear a mouth guard while playing. If you clench or grind your teeth at night, be sure to protect your teeth with a night guard. Keep in mind that mouth guards and night guards are different. Mouth guards for sports are usually made of softer plastic, whereas night guards for sleeping are made of hard plastic. You can’t use the same one for both; they are designed for different things.

Mouth guards are for sports, and night guards are for clenching and grinding. Wearing the correct guard can prevent broken teeth and other injuries that can lead to an emergency visit. I’ve seen many patients schedule emergency appointments due to sports injuries, but even more so after they wake up in the morning with a chipped or broken tooth. They call the office and say, “I don’t know what happened; I was just sleeping, and I woke up with a broken tooth, and now I’m in pain.”

Clenching and grinding your teeth is definitely one of the most common causes of broken and chipped teeth, sometimes even requiring root canals. You can bang on a certain tooth night after night, hitting that same tooth until you’ve traumatized the nerve, and it starts to die. So, protect those pearly whites with night guards for sleep and mouth guards for sports.

Tip 2: Don’t Skip Regular Dental Checkups

Number two: don’t skip your regular dental checkups. It’s easy to think that if nothing hurts, everything is fine. However, avoiding those routine visits can actually increase your chances of needing an emergency visit later. Preventative care is better, easier, and more affordable than emergency care. Your dentist and dental hygienist can catch issues early, like cavities, gum disease, or even early signs of infections, before they give you pain and turn into something more serious.

When I was a dental assistant, I saw many patients only schedule appointments when something was wrong. They were in constantly because once one tooth broke, it was downhill from there—issue after issue—because they weren’t coming in routinely to catch things when they were small. This created a domino effect. I would also notice patients in the hygiene rooms getting their routine cleanings, and I never recognized them because they were never in for any dental treatments on my side with the dentist. They were in and out with the hygienist for their cleanings every six months. I didn’t even know who they were since their appointments were so simple and quick. Now that I’m a hygienist, I get to meet them, but rarely do patients with routine hygiene appointments have to schedule emergency restorative appointments.

Tip 3: Maintain a Strong Daily Oral Hygiene Routine

Lastly, number three: a strong daily oral hygiene routine is truly your first line of defense. Brushing and flossing daily sounds simple, but most people either don’t do it correctly, are brushing and flossing wrong at home, or they just don’t do it at all. I will link a free oral care guide that goes over proper technique to ensure you are brushing and flossing the right way. You always want to make sure that you brush twice each day and floss at least once each day, all while using proper technique. You really should never skip a day because it only takes between 24 to 48 hours for most people’s teeth—some longer, some shorter—for plaque to harden into tartar.

You don’t want plaque turning into tartar; it increases your risk of several issues that can lead to dental emergencies. So, don’t skip brushing and flossing, and make sure you’re doing it right. Good habits at home can truly prevent dental emergencies.

Diet and Listening to Your Mouth

Speaking of good habits at home, what you eat also plays a big role in your dental health. Sugary and acidic foods can wear down enamel and lead to tooth decay. So, don’t be sipping on Gatorade or juices all day. Try your best to limit sugary and acidic foods and drinks, and always rinse your mouth out with water after indulging in these items.

Overall, listen to your mouth. If you start feeling any discomfort, whether it’s a toothache, sensitivity, or swollen gums, don’t ignore it. Once you start to feel pain, often times the tooth or teeth have already reached a severe state. This is unlikely to happen if you’re seeing your dentist routinely because they will take routine X-rays at your checkups and cleanings, catching things when they’re small before they bother you. Catching problems early can save you from painful and costly emergencies down the road.