Do you have a kid who plays sports? If you answered yes then this is very important. A sports mouthguard is going to save you and your child a lot of pain and agony, not to mention the financial burden over a number of years. We often don’t think of the consequences of the injury until they are affecting us directly. And the entire goal is to minimize the damage and injury. A bruised lip is easier to treat than a tooth broken in half or knocked out of the mouth, not to mention the emotional stress on everyone.
Sports Mouthguards – Protective Gear
Common organized youth sports where the use of protective mouthpiece is almost mandatory are football, basketball, and hockey. But some other sports where you may not think of the need for a protective mouthguard include examples like skateboarding, mountain biking, martial arts, and many more.
Accidents happen all the time. It’s best to minimize the damage caused by such accidents by taking precautionary measures. A well-fitting custom-made mouthguard means it will be used more because it’s comfortable. The over-the-counter mouth protective piece is oftentimes bulky and uncomfortable to wear. Sometimes they cause gagging or even make breathing difficult. So even though they are very affordable, they are practically useless in most cases.
Common Dental Sports Injuries
Every year the cost of dental treatment necessitated by sporting accidents is in the millions of dollars. A sports mouthguard could prevent or significantly decrease the damage and trauma to the teeth while playing sports. Here is a list of the common injuries to the face and the mouth and how a mouthguard can help minimize the damage.
Busted Lip – Broken Tooth
This is a very common scenario. The kids are playing basketball on the court. One gets accidentally hit by a ball or an arm or hand to the face. If the force of impact is light, usually a bruised lip is the result. But as the force increases, so do the odds of breaking a tooth, having the tooth impale the lip, or even get knocked out of its socket. These are all relatively painful issues to treat after the accident. A sports mouthguard protects the teeth against breakage and minimizes damage to the soft tissue.
Jaw Pain – Broken Jaw – Jaw Dislocation
If the accident causes the lower jaw to smack against the upper jaw then the damage gets worse usually. Sometimes multiple teeth are broken as a result of this trauma. If the break is deep enough a root canal may be necessary to save the tooth. Cracked teeth are painful to bite on and will also need to be treated. A more forceful impact can even break the jaw A sports mouthguard minimizes these types of damage by cushioning the blow. It’s like having airbags for the mouth.
Custom Mouthguards
Having your child protected with their own custom-made athletic mouthguard is as easy as picking up the phone and contacting us. We can schedule your child for a quick visit where we take an impression of the teeth. The mouthguard usually takes 1-2 weeks to fabricate. Plus they come in all sorts of cool colors and patterns.
Follow this link to learn more about sports mouthguards.