The best way to defend your mouth, teeth and gums against the onset of root canal pain and so the necessity of root canal treatment is to prioritise a set of preventative care principles.
Protect both your healthy and beautiful smile, plus your mouth comfort – for life – with these simple steps, going forward.
1. Optimise your oral hygiene routine at home as standard
Brushing twice a day is the minimum but you also need to floss at least once daily, too. Regular interdental cleansing keeps the build-up of bacteria, plaque, and tartar away from the roots of your teeth. Brush your tongue too and try an antiseptic mouthwash. Plus, when you are caring for your teeth every day you can stay vigilant to any infection, inflammation or toothache and act promptly to make an appointment if you have any concerns.
2. Brush your teeth after every meal
Brush your teeth 30 minutes after every meal to neutralise food acids before they have a chance to break down the enamel and cause oral health issues such as bad breath, tooth decay and gum infection.
3. Schedule in your regular dental and dental hygienist appointments
You will feel more confident taking care of your teeth at home knowing that you have a regular schedule of dental and dental hygienist appointments to attend to receive expert care. Do not wait for severe toothache or gum pain before you register with your dentist and try to get an emergency appointment. Take advantage of all the expert knowledge available to you at consultation and ask all the questions you need to; regarding optimising your oral hygiene routine, at home.
4. Act immediately on toothache
Contact us to book an appointment if you are experiencing severe toothache. Pain, infection, abscess, or gum inflammation is a clear sign something is wrong, and it is also something which will not get better on its own. Oral health issues receive the best clinical outcome when they are spotted early leading to less invasive treatment options and less expense.
5. Reduce or omit the consumption of sugary foods and drinks
Sugary foods and drinks like soda offer the food source to the bacteria present in your mouth which causes tooth decay and gum disease. Sticky, sugary foods can also stick to your teeth longer and drinks like soda can coat your teeth in sugary residue, feeding bacteria and breaking down the enamel at the bacterias leisure. Preserve your newly restored smile by reducing or omitting the sugary drinks from your diet. The best thing you can do instead, is drink water to reduce the number of harmful bacteria in the mouth, during the day.
6. Avoid trauma to your teeth
Trips, falls and accidents can cause trauma to the mouth leading to cracked teeth, tooth fractures, broken or leaky fillings and soft tissue damage to the gums. Do not take risks with your teeth such as consuming overly hard foods such as candies, lollipops, and boiled sweets. Be mindful when you travel and avoid rushing during your working day. Do not use your teeth to open bottles or tear open plastic packaging, either.
7. Wear a mouthguard at night
If you suffer from bruxism (teeth grinding) protect your teeth by wearing a mouthguard. At Wimpole Street Dental Clinic, we can craft a custom-made mouthguard just for you. Teeth grinding significantly reduces tooth substance, so much so that you may need a composite filling or even a partial crown to restore it in due course. Teeth grinding over time has the potential to cause tooth fractures, exposing tooth roots and making them vulnerable to root canal pain.
8. Wear a mouthguard during contact sports
Just as we suggest avoiding any day-to-day trauma to your mouth, we would also encourage you to wear a mouthguard during any contact sports activity you may participate in during your leisure time.
9. Be careful with ice
During the summer months it is tempting to order a cool drink with ice in it and then chew on the ice or crunch on it as you consume your beverage – please do not! Ice is a hard food and could lead to a tooth fracture, tooth breakage or cracking, which would need immediate attention to prevent the possibility of developing root canal pain.
10. Give up smoking
Tobacco when smoked releases many chemicals into the bloodstream which could hamper the body’s ability to heal fully and fast and to remain in optimum condition to ward off gum infection or inflammation, additional contributing to root canal pain.
Remember – we only get one set of natural, permanent teeth in our lifetime! Contact Wimpole Street Dental Clinic today to book your next appointment.