With longer days and more time on our hands, summer is a perfect opportunity to take care of our dental concerns. This is especially true for teachers and students, as well as Boomers who find getting to appointments is easier in good weather.
Regardless of your age, modern dental materials and techniques can handle almost any situation, including emergency problems that occur from either neglect or accidents.
Broken teeth that remain in one piece have a good chance at replacement, as long as the tooth is kept moist, clean and is placed back in the socket in about an hour’s time.
Fractured teeth can be restored, regardless of the time that has passed, as long as good tooth structure remains. The fractured piece can be bonded to the tooth or a composite plastic can replace the structure of the missing tooth.
For severe breaks, a porcelain veneer or crown may be used to bring the tooth back to its former appearance and function. Over the Fourth of July holiday, I met a patient (an elementary school principal) at my office to bond her right upper front tooth that she had broken eating at a picnic. She was thrilled with the outcome, saying that she couldn’t even tell where it happened.
Of course, we’d like to prevent accidents from happening to our teeth. The use of a soft mouth guard should be encouraged for both kids and adults who play sports or work out. A dentist can make a form-fitting guard in a multitude of colors that can play an important role in preserving tooth structure. Additionally, a guard may be used to prevent teeth grinding at night and even for teeth whitening with the use of a whitening gel.
In any case, there are many opportunities to improve your dental health when you have the time. If the summer months work for you, give your dentist a call today and see what she or he can do for you.
