Your Beverly Hills cosmetic dentist wants you to know that June is National Safety Month. That makes it a good time to focus on how you can prevent tooth loss.

Tooth loss may occur for many reasons. However, during the summer months when we spend more hours outdoors, it can easily involve an increase in accidents resulting in tooth loss. In fact, the American Association of Endodontists notes that children and adults have over five million teeth knocked out each year. Many of these accidents occur while participating in vigorous activities and sports.

As your Century City cosmetic dentist can tell you, to prevent tooth loss requires adults and children to be aware of their surroundings and practice safety first.

Safety First Helps Prevent Tooth Loss

Preventing tooth loss isn’t just about brushing, flossing, and seeing your Beverly Hills cosmetic dentist on a regular basis.

To prevent tooth loss means reducing the risk of injuries. Falls, sports, and fights are the most common reasons for tooth loss in children. However, adults can just as easily suffer from tooth loss for these same reasons. Protect tooth loss by wearing:

• Mouth guards. This is one of the best ways to protect your own or your child’s teeth while participating in sports.
• Face cages. Used for sports such as baseball, they protect against trauma to the face.
• Helmets. These are useful for many sports and physical activities, such as bike riding and skateboarding. Although they don’t specifically protect the teeth, they help protect from trauma to the head, which can affect the teeth and mouth.

As much as 40 percent of dental injuries in older children and adults occur while playing sports. Taking the proper safety precautions can help prevent tooth loss. However, if tooth loss should occur, it’s important to see a dentist as soon as possible.

Limit Tooth Loss with Emergency Dental Care

While taking precautions against tooth loss is highly recommended by Century City cosmetic dentist, accidents can still happen. In this case, it is important to seek emergency dental care. Sometimes it is possible to replant permanent teeth.

For the best results before visiting your Beverly Hills cosmetic dentist:

• Avoid touching the roots of the tooth
• Avoid rubbing or scraping the tooth to remove debris
• Rinse the tooth gently in a bowl of tap water, not under running water
• If possible, hold the tooth in the socket with gauze or a moist tea bag until you see your dentist
• If the tooth doesn’t fit in the socket, place it in milk or a mild saltwater solution

Whatever you do, get immediate medical attention from your Century City cosmetic dentist or a nearby emergency room. And remember, taking the proper safety precautions is the best way to prevent tooth loss.