Playing sports and being active are great ways to stay in shape. Playing at the high school level, competing in college or beyond, or just enjoying recreational sports with family and friends are all excellent ways to stay motivated to be healthy.
They also can be a lot of fun … but we also realize there is a risk of injury with any kind of sport. Everyone has twisted an ankle or fallen down. But it’s also worth remembering that dental injuries are a risk with any high-impact sport.
That’s why we want you to know that we make custom athletic mouthguards at our Beverly, MA general dental office. At Martins Dental Partners, we want to protect your winning smile for as long as possible, regardless of the final score.
To get your personalized mouthguard, call 978-288-1946 for an appointment.
Do You Need A Mouthguard?
Annually, mouthguards prevent approximately 200,000 dental injuries each year. That number would likely be higher, but surveys show that most athletes don’t wear mouthguards when they are practicing or playing. In fact, a recent survey of parents of youth athletes indicated that fewer than half of all youth athletes wear mouthguards.
A report from five leading professional organizations, including the American Dental Association and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, noted that athletes who don’t use mouthguards are 60 times more likely to suffer dental injuries than athletes who do.
Football is a great illustration of how valuable mouthguards can be. Before mouthguards were a mandatory piece of equipment, as many as half of all football injuries were dental. Today, less than 1 percent of football injuries are oral in nature.
It’s also worth noting that dental injuries occur most often in baseball and basketball. At this time, mouthguards are not required to participate in these sports, although the ADA and AAPD strongly recommend them as they do for all high-impact sports.
To know if you or someone you care about is playing a high-impact sport, ask yourself some questions. Does the sport involve physical contact between athletes? Are athletes attempting to throw, catch, or strike something as part of the game? Does the sport include lots of jumping, changes in speed or direction, or any combination of these things?
If you said yes to just one of those questions, then you are playing a high-impact sport (with the possible exception of golf).
You Deserve The Best Protection
There are basically three kinds of mouthguards you can buy.
The first is a stock mouthguard. These come in standards shapes and sizes and are not moldable. They are better than nothing, but they can feel uncomfortable and provide limited protection.
Boil-and-bite mouthguards can be found in many stores. These are an improvement over the stock mouthguards, but they have their own drawbacks. They are often bulky, which can make them uncomfortable, too. Their size also may make it difficult to breathe, speak, or drink water while the mouthguard is in.
Custom mouthguards are made to fit your teeth alone. As a result, they are smaller, more comfortable, and provide the highest level of protection. You can breathe, drink, and speak without taking these mouthguards out. This is the kind of mouthguard we’ll be happy to make for all the athletes in your family at Martins Dental Partners.
Protect Those Teeth
You put on your seat belt when you drive someone. For a similar reason, you should be wearing an athletic mouthguard whenever you step on the field, court, ice, or trail. To get a custom mouthguard, plan a visit to our Beverly, MA dental office. Contact us online or call 978-288-1946.
