Oral Safety in Sports

The American Dental Association recommends mouthguards for:

• Baseball• Basketball• Bicycling• Boxing• Equestrian

Events• Field Hockey• Football• Gymnastics• Handball• Inline Skating• Lacrosse• Martial Arts• Rugby

And hockey. . .

• Shotputting• Racquetball• Skateboarding• Skiing• Soccer• Softball• Volleyball• Water Polo• Weightlifting• Wrestling

What three sports cause the most dental injuries?

Some Stats . . .

• It’s estimated that over 5 million teeth are damaged or lost each year in sports.

• An athlete has a 33% chance of sustaining a dental injury in sports.

• 80% of tooth injuries are to the maxillary central incisors – two front teeth.

Photo courtesy T.P. Croll, D.D.S.

Rugby becoming more popular

Skateboarding

Cheerleading

What’s the cost of a tooth?

Fractured (broken)

Root Canal $900

Post & Buildup $275

Crown $1,125

Total $2,300

These are average one- time costs. All crown and bridge work eventually needs to be replaced. Does not include repair of injuries to tongue, cheeks, gums, bone, or plastic surgery.

Not to mention . . .

• Pain

• Emotional stress

• Other orofacial injuries to lips, cheeks, gums, broken jaws, etc

• And, the issue confronting all athletes, parents and coaches --

Concussion!

There is emerging evidence that a properly fitting mouthguard, by enlarging the separation between the jaw and skull, can help prevent and/or alleviate concussion.

So, you need a mouthguard --

Ready – made? • One-size-fits-all, cannot be adjusted• Bulky and rubs • Mouth must be closed to hold it in place

Boil and Bite? • Take it home, boil it on the stove, bite into it• Hard to fit• Gets thin on the biting surfaces of the teeth where

cushioning is needed most

Or, the Custom-Made Mouthguard:

• Made to fit the athlete

• Mold is taken, model made of upper teeth

• 4mm thick material molded over model

Custom-Made:

Superior in:

• Protection

• Comfort

• Oxygen uptake

• Speech

• And made by licensed professionals