Would you know what to do when faced with a dental emergency? The first and most important step is to get yourself to the dentist’s office as fast as possible. The chances of saving your tooth, especially when a tooth becomes chipped, broken, or comes out, depends on how quickly you get to the dentist. If you get to the dentist within the hour, your injured tooth may be saved, even placed back into the socket straight away. If you can, you should save the fragment or whole tooth and put it in a small container of milk or salt water to preserve it while you get to the dentist. Take care not to disturb any tissue fragments that are still attached to the tooth. If you are suffering from toothaches, try rinsing your mouth with warm water and gently floss the troubled tooth in order to remove any food particles that may be stuck there causing discomfort. If you are experiencing swelling, a cold compress could ease the inflammation as you wait to see the dentist. Do not attempt any treatment at home that could harm your gums or cause further trauma to your mouth. There is no reason to panic in a dental emergency so get in touch with your dentist in the City of London as quickly as possible.

Roller-ball, now that’s a film- based on the idea of hard working people being able let steam off at the weekends through the use of sport. Actually, that’s not exactly true, because it’s a violent game set in the future to appease people’s lust for violence. But one of the lines from the film is that executive’s ‘dream of being great roller-ballers’ in their time off. Just as most of us in the city of London work hard all week, a great way to let off gas is by playing sport which can involve brutal contact. This could be happy days for your dentist because they may well have to patch you up at a hefty price should you not take the necessary precautions to protect your teeth. Mouth-guards are an invaluable asset to you and your teeth when you play sport and their affect on the protection of your mouth should never be underestimated. By wearing a mouth-guard in any contact sport, it can protect your teeth, tongue, gums, head and neck from serious damage. So before you embark on this recreational form of entertainment, you may well wise to broach the market on what is available. You could start by getting an off-the-shelf number, or one that you take home, heat up, and then mould to your mouth. But if you are deadly serious about the sport you do, you can have a tailor made guard that is designed to take all the forces that your sport demands. At the end of the day, if you want to avoid the extreme costs involved in repair work to your teeth, then protect them with a mouth-guard.

There really is no need to put your precious teeth at risk of being lost. You only get one set of health teeth and once they are gone, you will have to replace them with something artificial. Some of these methods are extremely effective, such as dental implants and dental bridges and modern dentures are more comfortable and workable than ever before. But it is surely preferable to protect your teeth from damage in the first place.

If you partake in activities such as rugby, hockey, boxing or mountain biking or have a job working with heavy or dangerous machines you should take the necessary steps to protect your teeth from the harmful effects of an accident to the mouth.

The best way to do this is to wear a mouth guard. They can be bought cheaply from any sports equipment or kit store. The cheapest type of mouth guard will not, however provide your teeth with very much protection. Better are the so called ‘boil and bite’ variety of mouth guards. These offer a higher level of protection because they are better fitted to the shape of your teeth by immersing them in boiling water and then biting them.

The most effective way to protect your mouth from injury is to get your Central London dentist to fit you with a mouth guard. This will provide you with the optimum level of protection because your dentist will take the time to make a mouth guard that is uniquely tailored to the shape and contours of your teeth and gums. This is the most expensive option of the three types but it is still cheaper and more convenient than having to replace lost teeth.

Not wishing to impugn the human nature of most people living in central London, but some of you do find it difficult to distinguish between a mild crisis and a full blown emergency- just ask the emergency services about some of the daft phone calls they receive each year. But panic is borne out of our ignorance and lack of preparation to an ‘incident’. It’s the same with dental emergencies, but by clueing ourselves up, we should at least then, be able distinguish between calling up a dentist at two in the morning because there’s a piece of food stuck in your teeth, as opposed to calling an ambulance because you have a life threatening abscess. Most ‘emergencies’ are very minor; an annoying tooth ache, a chipped tooth, or if a bridge, crown, veneer or filling have dropped out- these are minor. Yes they need fixing, but not immediately. Until you can get to the dentist, relief can be found through pain killers, and herbal products can soothe and calm inflammation or discomfort. Losing a tooth is a different matter, depending on the nature of the loss. Most dentists run an out-of-hours hotline you can call in emergencies such as this. The worst case scenario is an abscess. If your face has started to swell, no tablets on earth is going to stop your blood from the poisoning process- now you can call the ambulance!

Your teeth can be put at risk by a number of activities which you might do regularly. During physical sports such as rugby, boxing, lacrosse and American football, your teeth can be exposed to damage and with the possibility of suffering from a nasty fall in cycling and gymnastics, you ought to protect your teeth when indulging in those activities too. Some people grind their teeth during sleep, which can be very damaging.

The simplest way to guard against chipping, cracking or even losing a tooth is to wear a mouth guard. The stock protectors that are sold in sports shops offer basic protection and are cheap and ready to wear but your mouth is still exposed to risks and dentists recommend greater safeguards. Better than stock, ready to wear guards are ‘boil and bite’ products which are made of malleable materials which are shaped once the product is plunged into boiling water and then bitten to fit your mouth.

More effective still are the guards that your dentist can construct for you. As an added bonus they are more comfortable too. Fitting your mouth snuggly, they offer the maximum protection offered by mouth guards. In order to fabricate one of these, your dentist will need to take moulds and then impressions of your teeth so that a technician can build a guard that is ideally suited to the unique shape of your mouth and teeth. Because of the specialist work involved they are the most expensive option but offer the greatest protection available in the form of a mouth guard.

If your teeth are exposed to danger through one of your hobbies or even your vocation, speak to your Central London dentist about the options available for mouth guards and avoid the need to invasive procedures in the event of sustaining damage to your mouth.

So, you consider your high risk sportsperson in central London eh? It’s always great to let off steam by playing sport, and often, you will be playing something that involves some form of contact, maybe full contact such boxing, martial arts, rugby, hockey, etc. Chances are anyway, you are going to need a mouthguard to protect your teeth, lips and gums from injury, and in the case of hard-hitting sports, a gumshield may prevent damage to the jaw, neck and brain as well. They come in three basic forms. There is a ready made shield that can be bought off the shelf and might require a small trimming to fit comfortably. The second type is one made from thermo-plastic, that can be tailored to the mouth by boiling first and then moulded into place. The third method is to have one tailor made. Whatever you choose, the reasons behind these guards is to limit damage to the mouth, so avoiding infections and unnecessary treatments and maintaining oral hygiene. But they are not just for sports. Several dental prodedures incorporate mouthguards. They can be used in the treatment of bruxism (tooth grinding), to protect the occlusion of the jaws- the bite. They can also be used as splints for joint disorders, aid in teeth bleaching and even double up as an aligner to straighten teeth.

Dental emergencies can be very traumatic and very painful. This is largely because the teeth are very sensitive and important parts of the body, but also because there is often a feeling of helplessness when something happens to your teeth. Dental emergencies come in many shapes and sizes. It could be a severe pain of toothache, a dental trauma resulting in knocked out or broken teeth or even the loss of previous dental repair work such as fillings or dental crowns.

If the emergency tales place during practice hours it is not that serious as your City of London dentist will be able to see you around other appointments, especially if the problem is serious but the question arises: what do you do when the emergency happens at night or when the dental surgery is closed?

Most surgeries will have an answer phone message that will give you instructions about what to do in case of an emergency. This will most likely involve calling the on-call dentist, whose details will usually be provided in the message. This will be a surgery somewhere that is open for emergencies such as this. Depending on how serious the problem, they will be able to advise you or see you as soon as possible.

It is also a good idea to know what you can do yourself during a dental emergency. Always try to stop the bleeding with a gauze and remember to look after the tooth if it has been knocked out. Placing it in milk or saliva will extend its life span but you need to get to a dentist as soon as you can. Over the counter painkillers will also help to numb the pain in most dental emergencies.

If you play any kind of sport that involves physical contact on a regular basis you may be able to reap the safety rewards of wearing a mouth guard. You may not realise but playing any sport with a moving ball, speed or physical contact could be putting your teeth at serious risk and one of the best ways to protect them is with a mouth guard.

Nearly half of all the cases of knocked out, cracked or broken teeth occur as the result of sporting injuries. These injuries could for the most part have been prevented if the patient had been aware of the risks and protecting their teeth. Mouth guards work by cushioning the blow and also spreading the impact around so that one area does not suffer localised damage. Obviously mouth guards are worn in high-contact sports such as boxing and martial arts but they are also necessary for ball sports such as rugby, football and anything that involves high speed or fast moving, unpredictable objects.

You may think that wearing a mouth guard for a game of football is slightly over cautious but consider the alternative; a ball or an accidental elbow in the mouth and three teeth are knocked out. As well as the considerable pain of the trauma, the teeth will then need to be replaced with costly dental restorations such as dental implants or bridges. Each one of these can cost several thousand pounds and will need to be replaced several times over the course of a lifetime. Each of these treatments will last several hours and involve some pain and discomfort. Eating will always be a worry because you don’t want to break your new dental work. Does this sound better than wearing a mouth guard for ninety minutes now and then? Thought not. See your Central London dentist to have a mouth guard fitted.

Playing sport can result in all sorts of injuries that often require you to wear safety equipment. This could be a helmet, gloves or even shin guards. It is also very important to remember to protect your teeth when playing any sport that involves speed, balls or high levels of impact.

The most effective way of protecting your teeth is to wear a mouth guard. It is possible to buy a generic mouth guard from a sporting goods shop but dentists recommend that you always have one fitted professionally for the maximum level of protection. A central London dentist will be able to fit your mouth guard in an appointment that will last about half an hour. This will be especially designed around your teeth and will spread the force of any impact preventing damage to teeth.

The main risks of not protecting your teeth are that they will be chipped, cracked or even knocked clean out. Not only will these incidents be very painful but they can also spoil the appearance of the teeth and require often very costly dental treatment to repair them. In the case of knocked out teeth, a dental substitute such as a dental bridge or dental implant can run into thousands of pounds, which seems like a bit of a waste when a mouth guard will only set you back a tiny fraction of that.

If you want to protect your teeth from damage during sport, make an appointment with a Central London dentist to have a mouth guard fitted.

When playing any kind of physical sport or activity that could pose a threat to your teeth, it is very important that you follow the advice of dentists and wear a mouth guard. It may not be the coolest thing in the world and it certainly doesn’t make talking any easier but it is certainly a lot more pleasurable than the pain and misery that comes with having a knocked out tooth or worse.

Sporting injuries account for about half of all the lost teeth in the UK and in most instances could have been prevented if the person was wearing a mouth guard at the time. Ask anybody who has suffered the pain of a knocked out tooth and they can tell you that it is not much fun. They can also tell you about the months or even years of associated dental problems and treatments that are often necessary to restore the appearance of the teeth. Then you have to think about the enormous cost of all the dental treatment that you may require, and all because you didn’t think it was necessary to spend a few pounds on a mouth guard.

Mouth guards are available from sports shops but these are often generic and not designed for your teeth. This can limit the amount of protection they can actually provide for your teeth. The safest option is to visit your Central London dentist who can design and fit a mouth guard for your specific teeth using a dental mould or digital x-ray. This will offer your teeth the maximum degree of protection and hopefully keep them safe from physical trauma.

With children it is important to remember to replace the mouth guard regularly as their teeth often develop and outgrow the mouth guard.