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Dental Mouthguards: Protection, Prevention, and Possibly Performance
Dental Mouthguards:
Protection, Prevention and Possibly Performance
The field of Sports Dentistry continues to grow as more and more people participate in extreme sporting events popularized by events such as the X-Games. Sports Dentistry is essentially the prevention and treatment of oral and facial injuries. Dental injuries are the most common type of facial injuries for athletes of participation sports and the majority of these injuries are actually preventable.
Young athletes who have a tooth knocked out can anticipate upwards of $20,000 in lifetime dental costs associated with just that one tooth. In addition to these expenses the person can suffer through lost work time, emotional and psychological scars and pain. These facts make it essential for dental professionals involved in sports to educate the athletes and their families about the prevention of dental sports injuries.
The first and most critical message is that the “boil and bite” mouthguards are not thick enough in the most vulnerable areas. Rather, athletes should see a dentist for a custom-fit mouthguard. These guards are made to fit very accurately to the mouth with minimal interference to speech, breathing and swallowing. These types of guards can be made to an ideal thickness in order to properly reduce or prevent dental injuries and concussions.
The American Dental Association estimates that mandatory use of athletic mouthguards prevents approximately 200,000 injuries each year in High School and Collegiate football alone. A properly fitted mouthguard must be both comfortable and resilient but it must also be of sufficient thickness to serve the intended purpose. Research completed by the Academy of Sports Dentistry has demonstrated that stock mouthguards simply have minimal effectiveness in the prevention of both tooth injuries and concussions, especially when compared to custom-fitted mouthguards.
A third area of the mouthguard industry is also developing at a rapid pace, the so-called “performance mouthguard” is designed as much for increased strength, balance and overall improved athletic performance as it is for tooth protection. These guards utilize repositioning of the bite to better align an athlete’s head, neck and spine for this increased strength. While this is not necessarily a new concept, it is an area of Sports Dentistry that is being hotly debated.
The bottom line is that a tooth that is knocked out of the mouth and not reinserted in the first few minutes has virtually no chance for successfully being saved and the cumulate affect of multiple concussions can lead to lifelong medical problems. These concerns make it imperative that athletes and their parents understand the importance of properly fitted and fabricated athletic mouthguards to prevent injuries.
Protection, Prevention and Possibly Performance
The field of Sports Dentistry continues to grow as more and more people participate in extreme sporting events popularized by events such as the X-Games. Sports Dentistry is essentially the prevention and treatment of oral and facial injuries. Dental injuries are the most common type of facial injuries for athletes of participation sports and the majority of these injuries are actually preventable.
Young athletes who have a tooth knocked out can anticipate upwards of $20,000 in lifetime dental costs associated with just that one tooth. In addition to these expenses the person can suffer through lost work time, emotional and psychological scars and pain. These facts make it essential for dental professionals involved in sports to educate the athletes and their families about the prevention of dental sports injuries.
The first and most critical message is that the “boil and bite” mouthguards are not thick enough in the most vulnerable areas. Rather, athletes should see a dentist for a custom-fit mouthguard. These guards are made to fit very accurately to the mouth with minimal interference to speech, breathing and swallowing. These types of guards can be made to an ideal thickness in order to properly reduce or prevent dental injuries and concussions.
The American Dental Association estimates that mandatory use of athletic mouthguards prevents approximately 200,000 injuries each year in High School and Collegiate football alone. A properly fitted mouthguard must be both comfortable and resilient but it must also be of sufficient thickness to serve the intended purpose. Research completed by the Academy of Sports Dentistry has demonstrated that stock mouthguards simply have minimal effectiveness in the prevention of both tooth injuries and concussions, especially when compared to custom-fitted mouthguards.
A third area of the mouthguard industry is also developing at a rapid pace, the so-called “performance mouthguard” is designed as much for increased strength, balance and overall improved athletic performance as it is for tooth protection. These guards utilize repositioning of the bite to better align an athlete’s head, neck and spine for this increased strength. While this is not necessarily a new concept, it is an area of Sports Dentistry that is being hotly debated.
The bottom line is that a tooth that is knocked out of the mouth and not reinserted in the first few minutes has virtually no chance for successfully being saved and the cumulate affect of multiple concussions can lead to lifelong medical problems. These concerns make it imperative that athletes and their parents understand the importance of properly fitted and fabricated athletic mouthguards to prevent injuries.
