Did you know that between approximately 39% of all dental injuries occur while playing sports? Of those, 75% of sports-related dental injuries affect at least one of the most visible teeth in our smile. The most common sports-related dental injuries include broken teeth, knocked-out teeth, injured cheeks or tongue and even broken jaws.
Although dental injuries are commonly associated generally with contact sports, such as football, rugby, hockey, and boxing, other dental and mouth injuries may also occur as a result of accidental contact with people or objects during other athletic activities, including skateboarding, basketball, soccer, squash, gymnastics, and Taekwon-Do. In essence, you need to be aware that all sports activities contain some element of risk that could result in a dental injury.
At Corinthia Dental, we recommend that anyone who participates in athletic activities should protect their teeth with high quality, proper fitting sports mouth guard.
A properly fitted sports mouth guard absorbs the shock of impacts. The mouth guard also protects teeth against potential chips, cracks, fractures, knock-out, and damage. A properly fitted sports mouth guard is an important equipment investment, especially when considering the cost of the potential dental work required to repair damaged teeth.
For people who have to wear braces or other fixed orthodontic appliances, it is especially important to have a sports mouth guard that fits them properly. An impact to the mouth can damage the brackets and wires of the braces, and can also cause added cuts and tears to the soft tissue inside your mouth.
Sports mouth guards are dental appliances that fit over your teeth while you’re engaged in your sporting activity. If you are then struck in the mouth or jaw, the sports mouth guard helps to redistribute the force of that impact. A mouth guard also provides a barrier between your teeth and the soft tissue in and around your mouth. Many studies have shown that mouth guards help prevent chipped or broken teeth and protect against cuts to lips, gums, and other soft tissue in the mouth area.
Mouth guards vary regarding cost, comfort, and effectiveness. An ideal mouth guard is durable, resilient, and comfortable. It should fit properly, be easy to clean, and should not affect your ability to breathe.
Here are the basic categories of sports mouth guards on the market:
The following are some questions you can ask to help determine if your mouth guard is effective:
Common, off the shelf mouth guards that are available in sporting goods stores, may not meet any of these criteria — even if they are brand new! Also, once they have been used for a while by the athlete, and they are chewed out of their regular shape, this condition makes them even worse and offers even less protection. Despite this, over 90% of the mouth guards worn by athletes have been purchased at sporting goods stores.
Mouth guards called boil & bite do have the potential to fit better. However, the actual fitting process itself has a downside. When biting into the hot mouth guard when it is malleable, the thickness of the mouth guard can be reduced and with it so is the level of protection provided.
For all of your Leduc Sports Mouth Guard needs, we welcome you to book a consultation appointment today. You can also discuss your options for Leduc sports mouth guards at your next hygiene and check-up appointment — just ask! We look forward to hearing from you!
