With the sun shining and the sprinklers flowing, summer can be a time to feel footloose and fancy-free. But that doesn’t mean we should take our eye off the ball when it comes to safety.
In fact, some of the things we love the most in the summertime can be downright dangerous when we’re not paying attention to what we’re doing. We thought we’d share a few reminders about how to avoid broken teeth while you’re out having fun this summer.
Avoid Broken Teeth With One Superpower: Attention
We’ll get into the nitty gritty, but there’s one main message to keep in mind when trying to avoid broken teeth and other injuries this summer: pay attention. It sounds obvious, but you might be surprised by the number of stories we hear about kids and adults breaking teeth because they weren’t thinking about what they were doing.
Five Key Ways to Avoid Broken Teeth this Summer
1. Watch Where You Walk, Swing or Stand
Whether you’re on a fast walk through the neighborhood or in a foursome with friends, be intentional about it. If you’re walking on the sidewalk, there are bound to be cracks. it’s tempting to gaze at the trees or the neighbor’s garden, but we’ve seen plenty of broken teeth resulting from a trip and fall.
Always watch where you’re going! If you’re out on the golf course or playground, you’ll need to be on the lookout for where others are too. Kids miss a rung on the monkey bars. People stand too close on the practice tee. Just like looking both ways before you cross the street, remember to pause before swinging.
2. Don’t Run by the Pool
We’ve all heard this a thousand times. Here’s to 1001. We can’t say it enough. Concrete pool sides are unforgiving. They’re full of obstacles from foam floaties to sunscreen bottles to other humans. They can be slippery, and they’re hard. Really, really hard. To avoid broken teeth by the pool, just listen to your mom.
3. Wear Protective Gear During Sports
It’s tempting to just head out and toss the ball around. It’s easier to leave the gear at home. But having the right gear can make a big difference in safety during play and practice. When it comes to avoiding broken teeth, batting helmets, catchers masks and mouth guards are of prime concern.
4. Stick to Less Sticky Chewing
One big bucket of ways to avoid broken teeth is in the food category. From popcorn to stone fruits with hard pits, and hard taffy to dense snack or meal bars on the run, summer is full of food that can cause damage if you’re not paying attention. No matter the snack, one message can save the day. Think before you chew. And just saying no to things like crunching ice can save you a lot of time, money and pain.
5. Get out of the Grind
Let’s face it. Things have stayed stressful this year so far. We’ll go into more detail on this in a future post, but for now, just remember that grinding your teeth can lead to chips, cracks and broken teeth. If you’ve been finding yourself more stressed than usual and waking up with a sore jaw, ask us about a night guard to protect yourself this summer and beyond.
Keep Cool and Avoid Breaking Teeth
Paying attention to what you and others around you are doing can make the difference between an emergency trip to the dentist and a carefree summer day. Although we always love to see our patients, we do not look forward to those emergency visits. We’d rather see you smiling, so stay safe and come on in for your cleaning.
To schedule an appointment, fill out this form, or call our office at 815-886-0875.
