There’s no doubt about it, winter is here.  It’s dark when we come to work in the morning, it’s dark when we go home in the evenings and there’s a definite chill that tells us that Old Man Winter is here for his yearly visit. And the arrival of winter means one thing for sure: it’s hockey season!  Hundreds of thousands of men, women and children head out to thousands of rinks across our great country to lace up their skates and play hockey.

 

 

 

 

Hockey is a wonderful sport and can be a lot of fun, but it can also be dangerous, especially for your face and mouth. An errant stick, a deflected puck, an awkward fall – these things can all lead to serious injury including broken or chipped teeth, teeth falling out and worse.

 

We recommend everyone wear a proper helmet with full face cage. This is the safest way to play and your face and mouth will be fully protected.

 

 

Buy a Mouth Guard

If you choose not to wear a full face cage, the next best thing to protect your mouth and teeth is a mouth guard. If possible, you should buy a custom-made mouth guard from your dentist. The dentist makes an impression of your teeth and then builds the mouth guard around it. This is the best fitting and safest option, but is also the most expensive.

 

 

Another less expensive option is the boil-and-bite kind that you can buy at your local sports store. You boil the mouth guard in water until the plastic bite plate becomes soft, then you bite down on it and it forms to your teeth. The least recommended option is a stock-made mouth guard, which can feel quite uncomfortable and also offers the least amount of protection for your teeth.

 

 

What To Do If Something Happens To Your Teeth

If something does happen to one or more of your teeth, it is important you get to a dentist as quickly as possible. The clock is ticking and you have about half an hour to work with if you want a chance at saving the tooth. Both our Milton and Scarborough dental office have extended hours during the week and are open on weekends and we’re always ready to help in a dental emergency so check out our hours of business to see if we’re open.

 

Only handle the tooth by the crown – touching the root might cause further damage to the tissue cells on the root and might be the difference between being able to reseating the tooth. Keep the tooth wet at all times, if possible in your mouth or if you’re not willing to do that then put it in a glass of milk or saline solution (such as contact lens solution).

 

There is a chance that the tooth can be saved, but unfortunately not a very good chance. If the tooth cannot be successfully reseated in the socket then you may need to have a root canal but still be able to use the tooth. If the tooth is too damaged then your dentist can make you an implant or crown.

 

If you chip or crack your teeth then you should also visit your dentist as soon as possible. They’ll be able to fix cracked, chipped or broken teeth and make sure the damage doesn’t get any worse than it absolutely has to.

 

 

Orion Dental has extended hours during the week and our offices are even open on part of the weekend.  If you have a dental emergency contact our office conveniently located in Milton or in Scarborough. We’d love to help.