Springtime is back in full swing which means many sports are starting up! While participating in sports is fun and a great way to get some exercise, it’s very important to take care of your teeth at the same time!
Mouthguards
Mouthguards have been shown to significantly reduce the risk of sports related mouth injuries. According to the American Dental Association, one third of all dental injuries are sports related and more than 200,000 oral injuries are prevented by wearing a mouth guard. Mouthguards are used to protect against jaw, tongue and teeth injuries such as chipped or knocked out teeth!
Our pediatric dentists at Bite Size Pediatric Dentistry in Frankfort, IL can help you choose the right appliance for your child. “Boil and Bite” appliances can be found at sporting good stores and are great for kids that are in a transitional phase between primary and permanent teeth and are losing/getting new teeth frequently; they can be changed to fit the needs of your child.
Creating a custom made mouthguard is another option and can be fabricated through the dental office and a dental lab. These are a great fit for kids (or adults!) who have a complete set of teeth. An impression is taken and a dental lab would create a custom mouthguard specifically for you! Don’t forget to clean your mouthguard after every use – using a toothbrush and brushing your appliance will ensure bacteria does not sit in the mouthguard.
Sports drinks
While the electrolytes in sports drinks help with hydration, these drinks are full of sugar!
Limit drinking sports drinks to during the event/game/match. Prolonged drinking of sugary sports drinks (throughout the day) increases the length of time for the sugar to sit on our teeth – the longer sugar sits on our teeth, the more time bacteria in our mouth has to “snack” on the sugar which produces the acid that weakens our enamel and overtime can cause cavities. While sports drinks are delicious, try to toss them to the sideline and grab some water 🙂
Have more questions about how we can protect our teeth while playing sports? Ask one of our Bite Size pediatric dentists at your next visit 🙂
