Sports injuries are dangerous and can sometimes be life threatening and even fatal. Soccer, basketball, lacrosse, ice hockey, field hockey, boxing or rugby are popular sports. Soccer or basketball classify as contact sports because the person playing is constantly making contact with other people or objects. On the other hand lacrosse, rugby, ice hockey are classified as collision sports where players purposely collide with other players or objects with great force.
All these sports also pose a risk of dental injury. Out of all injuries to the mouth and face almost one third of them can be attributed to sports and because of that American Dental Association for more than 50 years has been advocating and promoting the use of proper mouth guards to all who wish to indulge in such sporting and recreational activities.
The main function of a mouth guard is to minimize the risk of oral injury. It is important that an ideal mouth guard should be properly fitted to the mouth of the person wearing it and it should be made of an USFDA approved resilient material. It should cover all the teeth of the jaw and sit comfortably in the wearer’s mouth. It must be able to absorb high impact forces and transmit very little of it to the wearer.
Mouth guards can be of 3 kinds primarily –
- Ready Made
- Boil and Bite (these are ready made but can be adapted to one’s mouth and jaws)
- Custom made (these specially made in a dental clinic for a specific person’s use)
All kinds of mouth guards help protect teeth and jaws in the following ways – - They prevent cuts and bruises while playing the sport.
- Prevent fractures of the tooth and dislocation of the jaw.
- Protects the lower jaw from getting damaged.
- Reduce brain and neck injuries.
- They cushion the blows to the face and lips.
While no one can avoid injuries completely a mouth guard can save you not only the pain but also money associated with healing of a dental injury. The cost of a mouth guard is negligible as compared to medical costs associated with dental injuries. It is essential to wear mouth guards because taking care of your teeth is your responsibility.
Visit your dentist to know more about mouth guards or call us on 940-274-3229 and schedule an appointment.
Ensure Dental Care is the one of the best dental clinics at Saginaw Texas. Follow us on Instagram @ensuredentalcaresaginawtx for offers, deals and more. We accept all major insurance providers.