Every year, dentists across the country see a spike in emergency visits following St. Patrick’s Day. NBC reported that the average increase in emergency dental visits is 64% on the first business day after St. Patrick’s Day.
The most common dental problems that are treated are chipped teeth needing repair and missing teeth being replaced with dental implants.
The study was released in 2015, but at Softouch Dental Care 2016 was no exception.
Party-goers often think that this drinking holiday gives them a pass on responsible choices, but consequences do not take a holiday. Often over-indulgence in green beer and Irish whiskey on St. Patrick’s Day leads to a need for a smile makeover.
Men are by far the biggest culprits for dental consequences from over indulging in St. Patrick’s Day revelry, as dental visits from women actually go down nationally on March 18th. However, Texas does not match that trend, as dental visits from women actually go up 39% that day.
In the study, which compiled data from 10,000 practices using Sikka Software, 10 states actually had over a 100% increase in emergency dental visits. Our neighbors in Maryland and Washington DC see a 100% increase. Although Northern Virginia did not top the list, we can attest that there is a significant spike here as well.
The report points out that there is not a correlation with the Irish population and increased visits as Vermont is the only state with a decrease in emergency dental visits, but it has one of the highest Irish populations in the country. Also, Delaware has the highest increase in visits and only has an 11.4% Irish population.
The spike in visits typically lasts for about 3 days.
If you are in need of emergency dental care in the Northern Virginia area after your St. Patrick’s Day celebration last week, please contact Softouch Dental Care using the form on this page or call 703-319-6990 today to schedule an appointment.
