As soon as the calendar turns to October, Halloween celebrations begin. Candy is everywhere in special packaging and combinations, tempting every sweet tooth and risking every actual tooth out there. If you have a dental emergency, rely on your Red Bank dentist, even if you’re embarrassed to say that a gummy worm is responsible for your lost filling.
Candy Disasters
The biggest dental disasters that happen on Halloween occur because of candy. Innocuous, innocent, tasty candy. If you want to protect your teeth from seriously spooky damage, avoid the following sweets and treats:
- Chewy, sticky candy: Caramel, taffy, candy apples, gummies – anything that is super sweet and tugs at your teeth can be responsible for tearing out a tooth-colored filling or even popping off a dental crown. Approach these tempting treats with great caution, especially if you have a lot of restorative dentistry.
- Hard candy: Lollipops, jawbreakers, candy apples (again), and any hard candies are a problem for your teeth. Sure, they taste amazing and their longevity keeps you from overindulging in sweets galore, but one wrong bite into any of these tricky treats and you could break a tooth or lose a filling or crown. And, of course, there’s the problem of eating these candies all through the month of October – if you don’t clean your teeth thoroughly by the month’s end you could have developed a big cavity.
Costume Mix-Ups
Some costumes are far more user-friendly than others. If you’re wearing a mask over your eyes, a long cape or dress, or have a tail or some sort of accessory that could trip you up, don’t be surprised if you hit the ground on Halloween. Unfortunately, when people fall quickly without warning and connect with whatever is around them, their mouth often takes the brunt of the damage.
Falling on Halloween or any day of the year can lead to a host of dental problems and the need for an emergency dental visit to your Red Bank dentist to fix problems like:
- Knocked out tooth: It is sometimes possible to save a knocked-out tooth, but only if you get to your Red Bank emergency dentist right away.
- Dislodged tooth: A dislodged tooth isn’t automatically a lost cause, but this serious and painful problem needs immediate attention.
- Broken tooth: A broken tooth may not seem like a big deal, especially if it’s a front tooth that has lost a small piece of enamel. Though this issue is nearly always cosmetic, it’s the break itself that can allow bacteria and food particles in to wreak havoc.
- Excessive bleeding: Any blow to the mouth can result in a lot of bleeding. And a lot of blood can be scary, especially when it isn’t part of your costume. Mouth injuries are bloody, though they’re not always serious. Best to let your dentist make that determination.
Get Post-Halloween Help from Your Red Bank Dentist
Whatever happens to your teeth on Halloween or any other time of year, your Red Bank dentist is here to help stop the pain, fix problems, and give you a healthy smile. Contact Dr. Carole Sherrod Jewell and her team to schedule an appointment and find out if you need to be seen right away.
