Top 5 Christmas Dental Emergencies

With the most awaited celebration time around the corner, many of us may be preparing for gatherings with family, colleagues, and friends. There is no way you can stay away from eating plenty of sugary food, or staying up late and having more drinks with friends and family.

For a dentist, receiving frantic calls from patients who seek help for dental emergencies, like a chipped or cracked tooth, on Christmas Eve is not something new.

In other words, the glim-glam of Christmas festivities may turn into a nightmare if you stick to constant snacking, overeating or don’t have a healthy eating routine. It may not only cause you unbearable pain but will also prevent you from enjoying the joyous Christmas festival.

Why Christmas can be the Time of Dental Emergencies?

There is no denying that festive seasons are meant to de-stress your mind so you can enjoy get-togethers with your loved ones; however, enjoying something at the expense of your oral health is certainly not a wise idea. To put it simply, over snacking or drinking are a few causes that may lead to some serious dental emergencies if you do not take preventative measures.

In most cases, your root canal flares up or tooth gets infected. Sometimes, it impacts your wisdom tooth as well. However, a serious problem arises when a person who is suffering from a debilitating toothache does not get immediate medical assistance due to the hustle bustle of Christmas Eve, which makes matters worse. Here is when you realize how important it is to know the ways to deal with dental emergencies during the holiday season.

Considering this, here we have enlisted some Christmas dental emergencies that you should look out for to protect your teeth. However, before we plunge into the discussion of dental injuries, let us see some dental festivity dangers you need to be mindful of during the holidays.

Prevent Yourself from these Christmas Dangers

Constant Snacking

Avoiding hospitable delicacies during festive periods is hard. These treats are often eaten between mealtimes and increase the constant temptation for food. Although it is easy to say ‘Yes’, it is better to resist the temptation, if it is not your meal time. It is an easy way to prevent constant snacking that may lead to a dental emergency

Lack of Routine

There is no harm in enjoying your holiday season by spending a good deal of time sleeping or lounging around in your comfy sleep suit. However, that does not mean that you should not follow your oral routine. Lack of routine may give the opportunity to oral bacteria to grow in your mouth and that can be dangerous.

Air Pressure

You might not have heard it before but a change in air pressure can be one of the reasons that cause a dental problem. That means, if you are planning a holiday escape, make sure you visit your dentist before you leave to fix any gaps in your teeth or tooth cap issues.

Fisticuffs

It may seem a trivial thing to consider but may spoil your well-deserved holiday. You might love to get into a playful wrestling match with your friend, but it can accidentally knock out your tooth. It can ruin your festive Eve. It is better to avoid fisticuffs to prevent dental damage.

Bottle Openers and Nutcrackers

Nutcrackers and opening bottles with your teeth are some famous party tricks that may cause serious damage to your sensitive teeth, which can lead to a dental emergency.

Sticky Sweets

Imagining Christmas Eve without traditional cakes and pudding is hard, but you cannot ignore the fact that these delicacies can be the reason for your poor oral health and sensitive teeth. Not only do these sweet treats have high sugar content in them, but they also contain dry nuts that can stick and lead to a buildup of plaque on your teeth.

What kind of Dental Injuries You might Suffer During Christmas?

Knocked-out Tooth

Knocked-out tooth refers to a cracked tooth. If unfortunately, due to any of the aforementioned reasons your tooth is broken, you may suffer a dental injury. Not only will it ruin your Christmas Eve, but you will also need immediate dental assistance.

However, if somehow you are unable to reach your dentist, you should try to treat your chipped tooth by rinsing it gently to clean debris. Do not handle the root until you see the dentist to protect the root surface fibre.

Broken Tooth

A broken tooth is one of the most common dental emergencies that are reported in the Christmas season. Mostly it happens when you have rotten teeth and you bite down hard on any food. The treatment for a chipped tooth depends on the extent of an injury and it might need urgent dental assistance to restore a damaged tooth.

Lost Filling or Crown

If eating too many sticky sweets has pulled off your crown, it might harm your tooth cap. However, there is nothing to worry about as this dental emergency can be dealt with easily if you save the loose crown to re-cement it later by visiting a dentist.

A toothache or Swollen Gums

An infected tooth is not the only cause of swollen gums or a toothache. The condition can be caused by crooked teeth, teeth grinding, chipped or broken teeth. Regardless of what the reason is, no one wants his/her Christmas to be spoiled due to a toothache or swollen gums. That is why it is essential to refrain yourself from overeating or snacking that may infect teeth and cause a dental emergency.

Bitten Lip or Tongue

Bitten lips or tongue can be included in a dental emergency as an infected or broken tooth may affect your tongue and lips. There are more reasons which can lead to this issue, such as the habit of biting your lip, which is very common in children.

The good news is that it can be treated at home (if the injury is not serious). You can apply a cold compress which can stop bleeding and reduce swelling. If it fails to stop bleeding, it is better to visit a dentist.

Final Thoughts

Overall, ignoring pain or little aches during the festive period is very common in patients. However, if you do not seek treatment on time, a minor toothache may turn into a bigger concern. With the help of the above-mentioned information, you can avoid dental emergencies and enjoy all the pleasures of the festive Christmas Eve.

Emergency Dental Service Over Christmas and New Year 2019

At The Neem Tree Dental Group, we provide a Dental Emergency Service over the holiday season. If you have a tooth problem or pain, like those detailed above, please contact the The Neem Tree Emergency Dentists via the following link:

The Neem Tree Emergency Dental Appointments

Our dentists are available over the Christmas and New Year season.