A Fourth of July picnic is meant to be a big celebration of America, summer, and family. The last thing you want is to create painful conditions in your mouth. A Fourth of July picnic is often known for great foods, snacks, and meats on the barbecue grill. But before digging into some delicious meals, you should be aware of the potential oral damage that can occur. By understanding the different oral dangers while enjoying a picnic, you can help avoid oral damage and the dental treatments that come along with it. If your mouth does get damaged by one of the following three picnic staples, it's comforting to know that it can be treated and your mouth will be healthy again for the next large family gathering.
Chicken Wings & Drumsticks
Chicken is a Fourth of July favorite, and wings and drumsticks are slathered up and thrown on the grill. But one of the biggest dangers when eating these meats is biting into a bone. The density of a chicken bone can easily cause you to chip or crack a tooth. If this happens, you can expose nerve endings that are extremely painful. The health of your tooth is also at risk, and you do not want it to die or fall out.
When a chicken bone causes a chipped or cracked tooth, you can visit a dentist and have it repaired a number of different ways. One of the more common methods is dental bonding. A dentist will use a bonding material to help fill in the crack and restore your tooth to the natural shape and color. For larger cracks or chips, a dental crown may be used to cover the whole tooth. Help prevent chicken bone injuries in your mouth by using a fork to peel the meat off the chicken and separate it from the bone.
Chips & Dip
Picnic snacks are great for picking up and having a few bites as you socialize, play games, and enjoy the nice weather. Before digging into random snack bowls, you should be aware of how different chips are placed in your mouth. The thin design and sharp edges of a potato chip can easily cause damage to your gums. This includes both cut gums and the ability for pieces to wedge between the gum and the tooth. If this occurs, your mouth can be exposed to extra bacteria, and that bacteria growth may lead to gum diseases like gingivitis or periodontal disease.
If snacking on a bunch of chips has done a number to your mouth, then you have options for the restoring the health of your gums. A dentist can perform a deep cleaning that eliminates bacteria and cleans the gums out. This is the first step in healing your gums and reversing the disease in your mouth. For cuts on your gums, you should treat it with either a salt water rinse or an antiseptic mouthwash that can help kill germs and bacteria.
A Fourth of July picnic is a great time to pull out a cooler filled with cold and refreshing sodas or other carbonated beverages. But even if the drinks are diet and sugar-free, they can still cause damage to your mouth and overall oral health. The acids in these beverages can wear away on the enamel of your teeth. This can make your teeth weak and prone to decay. The caramel coloring in several of these drinks can also lead to discoloration.
As you enjoy soda and other carbonated beverages, it's good to drink water along with it. Water can help wash away the acids and prevent them from sitting on your teeth. A dentist can perform a cleaning and whitening treatment to help reverse the coloring. Dentists may also give you fluoride treatments to help restore and repair damaged enamel.
By planning ahead, you can be prepared for any of these picnic disasters. It's also a good idea to have a dental emergency number programmed into your phone so you can access help when you need it.
For more information and tips, talk with a dentist in your area, such as Michael G Landy DDS.