Play Hard...Keep Teeth

When your child or teen is outside playing a sport you protect them with sunscreen, a helmet, and knee pads, but what do you do to protect their mouth? Research estimates that about 2 percent of all children or adolescents who participate in sports eventually will suffer a facial injury severe enough to require medical attention. 

According to the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry’s Policy on Prevention of Sports-related Orofacial Injuries, sports accidents reportedly account for 10 to 39% of all dental injuries in children and are most often caused by direct hits with a hard object, such as a puck or ball, and player-to-player contact.

The dental associations offer the following five tips to help prevent facial injury:

• Wear a mouth guard when playing contact sports: Mouth guards are significantly less expensive than the cost to repair an injury, and dentists and dental specialists can make customized mouth guards that hold teeth in place and allow for normal speech and breathing.

• Wear a helmet: Helmets absorb the energy of an impact and help prevent damage to the head. 

• Wear protective eyewear: Eyes are extremely vulnerable to damage, especially when playing sports.

• Wear a face shield to avoid scratched or bruised skin: Hockey pucks, basketballs and racquetballs can cause severe facial damage at any age. 

• Make protective gear mandatory for all sports: Athletes who participate in football, hockey and boxing are required to wear mouth guards. If mouth guards have been proven to significantly decrease the risk of oral injuries, why is it not mandatory in every sport for kids to be required to wear them. 

Play hard, play safe and protect your best feature - your smile. If you have additional questions about sports mouth guards or keeping yourself and your mouth healthy, please give us a call!

Dan Gustavson, DDS & Your Auburn Dental Aesthetics Team