Let's Have a Safe Summer
As the temperature rises and we distance ourselves from the quarantine, it truly begins to feel like summer. And over the last six weeks, from an orthodontic standpoint, I have seen the classic signs of summer as well. Or should I say the results of a non-scheduled, non-disciplined lifestyle without school?! Yes - poor oral hygiene, gingivitis, broken teeth, and one broken jaw from not-the-best-thought-out summer activities have already surfaced this month in our office.
So I felt this week I’d go over my 35 summers of negative dental experiences to hopefully make at least one person think about what negative outcomes might occur if they continue their current dangerous summer activities…
1. Dangerous Activity #1 - Neglecting Dental Care (We’ll start with the easy one first.)
Let’s start with the easy activity of just plain daily brushing and flossing our teeth.
Experts in ivory towers recommend brushing three times a day. That may work for some, but my experience has shown it’s the quality of brushing, not the quantity, that better-serves the teeth. In fact, as we get older, three times a day may lead to gum recession! Technique is all-important, with the use of a soft-bristled brush in light circular motions, three teeth at a time (rather than back-and-forth a whole quadrant at a time). Electric tooth brushes are ideal for what I call lazy elbowitis. Be careful and don’t apply too much pressure to the gums, but don’t skip them either!
Flossing should be once a day or at least four times a week. The floss forks are ideal for flossing on the run or in your car. You cannot believe how many forks I’ve seen on the ground by gas pumps. Now that’s multi-tasking! Water piks or hydro irrigators are fine after you brush and floss but should not be used to replace either of them. If you have braces, the area between the gums and the bottom of the brackets is where plaque accumulates and decay begins first. Remember, plaque is a condominium complex of bacteria that consumes only sucrose and then discharges an acidic waste. It’s this acid which demineralizes the calcium in our enamel and begins cavity formation. The consumption of sugar after nine o’clock at night is a disaster for teeth, especially if brushing is skipped before the pillow. Consume your sugar early in the day and let the medicinal cleansing benefits of your saliva bathe the tooth throughout the day.
Now that we’re keeping our teeth clean, let’s try to keep them intact and in our mouths…
2. Dangerous Activity #2 - Trampolining with a Partner
Trampolines rank in the top three every summer for chipping upper front teeth or just totally knocking them out of the mouth. It seems jumping on a tramp solo is no fun. One must always have a partner, who is 12-16 inches shorter than themselves, so when the jumping really gets going crazy, the shorter partner fits perfectly under the chin of the taller partner. As the shorter person comes up, their head slams into the upper front teeth of the other partner or they hit the taller partner’s lower jaw driving it into the upper front teeth. Then there is the amateur flip artist, who carries out a beautiful one-and-a-half twist but, after rounding out, loses sight of proper landing protocol and crashes into the springs, frame, or mother earth with a fracture of teeth or bones! Flying off the tramp has been less frequent with the advent of side walls…
3. Dangerous Activity #3 - Speeding on a Quad (ATV)
Riding a quad seems a harmless, entertaining way to spend an afternoon. And it is… until you are launched from the seat at a high rate of speed, usually due in part to a high rate of speed. Where you land and how you land is anyone’s guess… but face first into trees has been very popular of late. Professional riders seem to know accidents are inevitable and dress with proper protective gear. But once a person gets braces, a short sleeve shirt and shorts with no helmet seems to be proper attire to tour hospital’s ERs. The proper helmet is a must and I mean with full chin protection! Yes, they can be warm when warn - and they are expensive - but they are less than the 21.5 grand for the jaw surgery that our last orthodontic daredevil paid. Not to mention a lost front tooth and lip numbness. You must have the chin protection built into the helmet. I’ve never seen a forehead injury; it’s always a lower face or mouth rearrangement. Mouth guards, especially those made by Shock Doctor, are the cheapest tooth and jaw protection on the planet. A Shock Doctor can be worn separately in either jaw or combined in a combo guard for total protection depending on the sport or activity. We get a few travel or high school sports injuries, but far and away most come from un-refereed, no-rules, recreation pick-up games. Wearing an upper snap-in mouth guard will save a person with or without braces more cash and heartache than you can ever imagine. We had a patient get an upper front tooth kicked out sparring in unprotected karate and, after the lawsuit against the instructor, the parents were awarded 48 grand to pay for replacement and maintenance of the space over the life of the child! Mom, where is my Shock Doctor?
4. Dangerous Activity #4 - Herding Cattle
Last but not least, I didn’t think I needed to warn my patients about herding cattle on the ground until six am last Saturday morning, when I was awakened by a call from a long-time friend. Seems they were herding cattle, when his 11-year old Amish neighbor got between a 700 pound calf and its mother! Now, in my office, I don’t get between a 92-pound female adolescent and her 115-pound mom! I don’t look for trouble. The calf nailed the boy square in the chest at full throttle, tossing him into the air. Unfortunately, the boy’s landing was on the chin. The boy was lucky that the calf was turned away before round two commenced. Several teeth will need root canals, a fractured jaw was repaired… as were the facial lacerations (with much soreness to follow).
So please, this summer, use proper oral hygiene techniques. They will go a long way to protect your teeth and smile for years to come. Think twice about doing a crazy stunt on a trampoline… or speeding on a quad. And if you’re going to engage in dangerous activities, always wear your helmet with chin protection. When playing sports, consider the mouth guard and… like American Express… never leave home without it!
Now go out and have the best summer ever. You’ve earned it!
- Dr. P