Be it a professional sports figure or a casual weekend athlete, anyone who’s actively involved in sports is inherently prone to dental injuries. Especially in contact sports like football or rugby.  Injuries to the head and mouth region are one of the most common kinds of sporting injuries. Dental trauma in sports is often combined with head or facial injuries and, though most of the time those injuries may not be disabling, injuries to the teeth are both physically and psychologically distressing, more so because teeth lost in sports injuries are usually front teeth. Dentists can now create a robust business from the specialized practice of treating just athletes, and billing themselves as ‘sports dentists’.

Prevention over repair

People involved in contact sports are usually advised to wear a “mouth guard.” Simply using a mouth guard reduces the incidence of dental trauma by more than two thirds.

Mouth guards come in various types. The simplest mouth guard routinely available in sports goods stores is the ‘stock’ mouthguard. While these are cheap, they don’t fit very well and are less protective. Because jaw shapes are individual, stock mouth guards have a rather crude fit, needing to be ‘bitten down’ and tend to deform quickly.

A better option is a “boil and bite” guard. After boiling in water, these guards become soft enough to bite into, so they have a chance to mold themselves to the wearers teeth. These are appropriate for younger athletes who are still growing, and those who wear braces since they can easily be replaced and have a much more comfortable fit.

The best kind of mouth guard is a custom made one. Dr. John M. Hucklebridge, D.D.S. of Plano Smile Studio specially designs these to precisely fit the patient’s jaw, making them more protective and very comfortable and retentive. Molded from a plastic with a more even thickness, custom mouth guards will have contact will each individual tooth, providing the maximum amount of protection. Sports dentist strongly recommend custom-made mouth guards.


Caring for dental injuries

There is no such thing as a ‘small dental injury’. There can be internal damage that will over time manifest into a more serious problem. Contact a family dentist in Frisco TX for a consultation.

Loosening of a tooth, pain on chewing, slow discoloration, or a pustule on the gum could all mean a damaged tooth. If a tooth gets knocked out, don’t waste any time in getting the tooth and the patient to a dentist right away. It’s best if it can simply be slid back immediately into the socket. If not, it should be kept in saliva in the mouth or milk and brought to a dentist immediately. If some teeth are loosened, they should be held in place by using the splinting material in dental emergency kits. Any bits and pieces chipped off should be collected for your Fort Worth cosmetic dentist to review and repair.

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