Dental emergencies can happen at any time. There are almost limitless causes of dental emergencies but there are some common causes include chips or cracks caused by biting down on something hard. Physical trauma such as a sporting injury or motor vehicle accident are also responsible for many dental emergencies such as knocked out teeth. These can be very concerning times during practice hours but are even more serious when the emergency happens out of hours.

If your dental emergency takes place during normal practice hours, your Central London dentist will be able to fit you in around their normal appointments depending on the severity. However, if it occurs outside of normal practice hours, there will be information about how to get in touch with the on-call dentist on your surgery’s answering service.

There are several steps you can take after a dental emergency to give yourself a better chance of successful treatment. If a tooth has been chipped or knocked out it is important to find the excess part and preserve it either in milk or saliva. This will increase your chance of the dentist being able to replace or reattach the fragment or tooth.

You can attempt to stop bleeding and swelling by using cold compresses either on the inside or the outside of the cheek. This will also help to limit the pain you may be experiencing. You can take pain relief medicine but never place aspirin next to the skin in the mouth as this may cause tissue damage. Try to see a dentist as soon as possible after the emergency to give your self the best possible chance of successful treatment.

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.

Sporting injuries are one of the most common causes of knocked out or damaged teeth. Any sport that involves physical contact, fast moving balls or high speeds can present a serious danger to your dental well-being. One poorly placed pass, mistimed tackle or turn too far and you could be living with the pain and discomfort of dental trauma for years to come.

Once a tooth has been knocked out or severely damaged it will never make a full recovery. Unlike bones, teeth cannot heal in the same way, so a cracked or broken tooth will need to be repaired with artificial methods. Not only will this be painful and time consuming, but it will also likely be very expensive. The best way to deal with dental trauma is to avoid it in the first place. By wearing a mouth guard when playing sport you can significantly reduce the risk of dental injury and prevent years of discomfort.

Mouth guards are available in generic forms from most sporting goods shops, with the boil and bite variety being the most common. These mouth guards are only partially effective because they are not designed for your specific teeth. The safest option by far is to have a mouth guard professionally fitted by a Central London dentist. A dentist will be able to use a dental mould to create a perfectly fitting guard for the full amount of protection. For a few extra pounds you could give your teeth the added protection against damage and enjoy your sport all the more knowing you have done all you can to protect your teeth.