For many families, life would seem pretty dull without participation in sports. In your excitement about your child’s sporting events, you may find it easy to overlook the need for mouth guards. Unfortunately, it seems that up to 39% of all dental injuries are due to sports.
What Activities Require a Mouthguard?
We all think of sports like football and hockey when mouth protection is brought up, but lots of other sports really should be played with a mouthguard too. According to Colgate, it’s not unheard of for basketball players to snag the front teeth on the basket when going for a slamdunk-ouch! Wrestlers, equestrians, skaters, martial artists, and gymnasts, among many others, should consider using a mouthguard during play, practice, or competitions.
There are a couple of different kinds of mouthguards, These are the stock mouthguard, the mouth-formed protector, and the custom made mouth protector. More information about mouthguards is available here.
I Have a Dental Injury. What Now?
Any time you have a dental injury of any sort, sports or otherwise, there are a few things you should know in order to try to save your teeth.
In the case of a tooth that has been completely knocked out in one piece:
- Rinse the tooth in clean water or a saline solution wound wash to remove any debris. Do not scrub the tooth-leave any tissues present intact if possible.
- If the roots are intact, see if you can place the tooth back into the socket.
- Hold tooth in place by biting (gently) on a towel until you can get to the dentist.
- If it’s not possible to replace the tooth yourself, bring the tooth with you. You can bring it in a small amount of milk or water. Don’t let it dry out.
Most of the time, the tooth and gum tissues will just need some time to heal. Occasionally, if there has been a lot of trauma, there may be a need for anesthesia and stitches to hold the tooth in place until the natural healing process takes over.
In the event that you’ve broken a tooth, try to collect all of the pieces of the tooth and bring them with you to the dentist’s office. You can either carry them in a small cup of milk or water. The point is to keep it from drying out, which would reduce the chance of saving the tooth.
Prevent Dental Injuries With Mouthguards
We hope that you’re not here because of a dental injury. But now that you know how widespread sports injuries are, you’re probably thinking that it might be a good idea to look into custom-made mouthguards for the members of your family who live that active, sporty lifestyle.
Don’t delay! Call Buckhead Dental Partners in Atlanta at (404) 261-0610. We look forward to meeting you! Make an appointment online.
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