All year round, the students of America look forward to summer vacation so that they can take a break from school, kick back, and enjoy the festivities of the season. While summer offers a range of fun and exciting activities, they can take their toll on your smile if you aren’t careful. Here’s a brief list of summer activities that can lead to oral health issues along with a few tips on keeping your smile in great shape.

Summer Sports Can Lead to Dental Injuries

For many people, summer means more time to engage in sports like baseball, football, soccer, and basketball. While these are all great ways to get exercise and have fun, these games involve a lot of kinetic energy flying around the field, and a tooth could easily become chipped, cracked, fractured, or dislodged if a ball or an elbow lands too forcefully in the wrong place. Thankfully, wearing a customized mouthguard from your dentist can keep your teeth safe when you play summer games.

Swimming Can Leave Its Mark on Your Grin

If there’s one activity especially associated with summer, it’s swimming. This activity is a great way to cool off, have fun, and get exercise all at once, but it isn’t without its dangers. The decks around pools are quite prone to getting wet, making it easy to slip and break a tooth upon landing on your face. Take care not to run around the pool.

It’s also worth noting that, if you swim in chlorinated water for more than six hours every week, you may develop swimmer’s calculus. This condition results in yellowish stains that do not respond to conventional oral hygiene methods forming upon the teeth. The best way to get rid of this problem is to see your dentist for a thorough cleaning.

Ice Cream and Soda and Snow Cones, Oh My!

During the summer, many people love to enjoy a frosty treat to beat the heat. While ice cream, popsicles, snow cones, and soda can be sweet and refreshing, they can also be high in sugar, acid, and ice particles, and all of these are bad for your teeth. This doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy these items at all, but rather that you should enjoy them in moderation while drinking plenty of water and practicing excellent oral hygiene every day.

Nothing ruins summer fun like a dental injury or a splitting toothache. By looking out for the health of your teeth this summer, you can help ensure that your summer remains enjoyable.

About the Author

Dr. Bradford Young earned his dental degree from the University of Pennsylvania Dental School and completed his General Practice Residency in the Lehigh Valley Health Network. He is proud to serve as a member of the American Dental Association, the Pennsylvania Dental Association, and the Academy of General Dentistry. His office in Allentown, PA, offers general, restorative, and cosmetic dentistry. For more tips on dental safety during the summer, contact his office online or dial (610) 439-1363.