Many moons ago, when we first started blogging, we wrote about the topic of mouth guards. We have also written about dental emergencies and what to do if a tooth meets with an accident (whether sports related or not!) Now, here we are again, it’s September and we find ourselves shin pad deep into hockey season. Wait, what? September already? Where did our summer go? Well, whether you enjoyed the weather this summer or not, it is indeed September and it seems like a good time to talk about tooth protection. It’s a subject that really does benefit from an annual reminder. As we’ve said before, the Team here at Brinkley Dental joins parents in emphasizing the importance of physical activity and with having a bunch of kids ourselves, playing a number of sports we know the value of both team and individual play. However, we would also like to take this opportunity to encourage “Smart Sporting” so today we are re-visiting the topic of mouth guards and what to do in a dental emergency.
Hockey of course is the obvious sport that comes to mind when we think of teeth. The thought of a puck anywhere near the mouth, teeth and gums you’ve worked so hard to maintain makes us shudder! That said, just about any sport would realistically benefit from the wearing of a mouth guard since accidents happen because they are accidents – you can’t predict them and they could happen anywhere, in any sport. Since hockey is our national past time however, today we will use it as the excuse to talk about protection. Most hockey associations, at any level, have made mouth guards mandatory. They offer an unprecedented level of protection for your mouth, teeth and gums. We’ve talked in the past about the various styles and types of guards available as well. We don’t plan to go into detail about each type today but instead, simply want to remind you about this “blast from the past” post: Brinkley Dental is proud to partner with sports teams to ensure they get the protection they need while playing the sport they love. At Brinkley we welcome both individuals and entire teams to stop by our friendly offices in North Brampton and take advantage of our extremely low pricing on custom mouth guards. We’ll spend the time ensuring the fit and comfort level is just right for your super sports star. Parents, if you are the volunteer serving as Team Manager this year, call our friendly front office staff and scheduled appointments can be made to accommodate everyone on your team ensuring every player walks out with a fully customized mouth guard. The reality is a custom mouth guard fits best and we urge you to consider having your mouth guard made today, don’t delay!
Now, on to our next “repeat” topic: when a break is NOT a good thing! If, by some horrible turn of events, you find yourself (despite a mouth guard) facing a dental emergency, here are a couple of tips to help keep you going until you can seek medical attention. Lots of things can cause a dental emergency, not just sports. The frontline treatment however, is pretty much the same in any circumstances. Regular readers may recall that we talked about milk in that particular blog. Yes, milk. Should you find yourself in the position of having a tooth knocked out (and it has broken cleanly, with no chips, dirt or debris) place it immediately back into the socket and head straight to the Dentist office. If you can’t do this or it won’t stay held in place (or in the case of young children you’re afraid they might swallow it) then place the tooth in a glass of cold milk. It will preserve the tooth until you get to the Dentist, slightly improving the odds that it can be preserved. As we stated in that previous blog however, this “tip” is time sensitive. The reality is you only have about 10-15 minutes to get to a Dentist who might be able to help restore the tooth giving it a chance to take root again. In fact, if it’s been two hours or more, it’s likely too late.
In that same blog we took the opportunity to remind parents to know how and WHERE to get help in an emergency. You know where the hospital is and everyone knows how to dial 911. Chances are you even have Telehealth and Poison Control numbers handy but do you know where your local emergency dental clinic is? Take some time now, (right now – as soon as you finish reading this blog) to locate and make a note of where to get help in a dental emergency. As well, make sure you have our number handy too! New patients, existing patients – regardless of who you are, we’re here to help! Brinkley Dental has extensive and varied office hours to accommodate a wide variety of schedules.
Finally, it is possible for chipped or broken teeth to be repaired. Call Brinkley Dental, or your local dental office, as soon as the incident occurs and explain your situation. You should be able to be seen very quickly and the sooner you are, the better your chances of a repair. You might be able to have something as simple as white filling material to fix the tooth. More extensive damage may mean a root canal or crown. Regardless of the extent of the damage from minor to major, a Dentist can almost always repair it.
Dental emergencies are never fun but hockey season almost always is! With a little pre-planning, having a mouth guard custom made and having emergency numbers handy should you need them, we can try to help prevent accidents and/or make any dental emergency as painless as possible. Consider this your annual September reminder update. Now, today, as always, we’ll end our blog the same way we end every blog: with our friendly reminder to call or visit us anytime and a reminder ”don’t forget to be a BFF with your mouth and Brush that SMILE!”
