Sports Guard
 Many athletes exert an incredible amount of force on their teeth during the heat of competition. It is extremely important for children and adults to protect their pearly whites to decrease the risk of permanent damage, including chipped, cracked, or lost teeth. This is especially true for contact sports like football, lacrosse, field hockey, boxing/MMA or non-contact sports like basketball and weightlifting. The best way to protect your precious teeth is to be fitted with a custom sports mouthguard by highly trained professionals. Here at Ranches Family Dental, we can help keep your competitive edge and your perfect smile.
Participating in Sports without a Mouthguard? Not Worth the Risk
We’re all familiar with the stereotype of the grinning hockey player with a few teeth missing from his smile. While certain types of athletes may regard missing teeth as a badge of pride and just part of their sport, it’s extremely important to take measures to help protect your teeth from loss while participating in your favorite sport. Besides, even hockey players know the benefits of wearing sports mouth guards!
The risks of not using a mouthguard when you participate in sports include:
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Cuts and abrasions to your mouth
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A broken or dislocated jaw
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A concussion
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Trauma to the mouth from impact injuries
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Losing a tooth |
Losing a tooth isn’t just about having a tooth fall out, either. There are four different types of severe dental injuries that could happen to your teeth:
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Avulsion. This occurs when your tooth is entirely dislodged from the socket.
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Luxation. When your tooth twists in the root but isn’ |
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t fully knocked out, luxation occurs.
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Intrusion. This happens when your tooth gets pushed into your gums by blunt force.
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Fractures. If your tooth chips, or breaks, or shatters, then a fracture has occurred. |
While there are several types of sports mouthguards available to you on the market, we strongly advise that you come into our office for a custom-fitted one. A custom-fitted mouthguard will provide superior protection to your teeth, mouth, and jaw, greatly reducing your risk of injury and loss of tooth. These are shaped to your mouth, giving you the best possible protection while engaging in your sport.
We advise that you stay away from the generic “stock” mouthguards that you might encounter at a sporting goods store. These are only slightly better than using nothing at all, and they may impair your performance by restricting your breathing. They’re also clunky and cumbersome, leading to some athletes not even using them after purchasing them!
If you have an appointment with us, but you need a temporary mouthguard to hold you over in the interim, you could consider a “boil” mouthguard. However, like stock mouthguards, they are no match to a custom-fitted mouthguard. These require that you boil them to soften them, then bite down while they’re soft to conform to the shape of your mouth.
A well-fitting mouthguard is hardly noticeable, getting you back into the game quicker and without any irritation or fuss. If you participate in sports, then a mouthguard is an indispensable tool that can protect your mouth – and your beautiful smile! Please give us a call here at Ranches Family Dental at (385) 374-0500 today to schedule a dental exam with a fitting for a custom sports mouthguard! |
