3 Of The Most Common Causes For Emergency Dental Care
Everyone is familiar with routine dental checkups and cosmetic dental work. These are visits you can schedule whenever it is convenient. Of the 64% of adults between the ages of 18 and 64 reported by the CDC to have visited a dentist in 2014, most of these individuals likely scheduled their appointment for one of two reasons. They did so either to have their general oral hygiene evaluated and to get a professional cleaning or to have their smile improved through cosmetic work.
However, accidents do happen, and a portion of these visits were for emergency dental procedures. While any number of incidents can necessitate emergency dental care, there are a few which tend to pop up more than others. Read on to find out three of the most common causes of emergency dental issues so you can be extra careful in the future.
Contact sports
Competitive football at the varsity, college, and professional levels is well-known as a particularly dangerous sport. It is for this reason that a plethora of safety equipment is worn at all times. Helmets, and in particular mouth guards, are highly effective protective measures against damage to the teeth and gums. It is pickup games of football, during which no safety equipment is worn, that pose the greatest risk of accidents that necessitate emergency dental care. Even if you are playing tag football instead of tackle, take extra care when you don't have a mouth guard.
Ball sports
Any time a projectile is involved, the possibility of a dental emergency is present. Basketball, baseball, and even tennis pose a risk of mouth injury. NBA players, cognizant of the risk both the ball and physical contact with other players pose to their teeth and gums, virtually always wear mouthguards during play. Mouthguards have the added bonus of helping to protect against concussion in basketball, baseball, and any other sport that involves contact with other players. While some baseball players are beginning to acknowledge the value of mouthguards, adoption of the practice is slow. Only around 7% of players report wearing the equipment consistently.
Hard foods
Whether from a candy that you expected to be chewier or a tenacious bone in your dinner, sometimes you bite down hard on something you should not have. Fortunately, emergency dental care experts are well-versed in handling these incidents, and will have you back to eating -- perhaps a bit more carefully -- in no time.
Whether for an emergency or something more routine, you can rely on Aesthetic Family Dental Care to take care of you. And if you plan on playing contact sports, remember to wear a mouthguard!