Sports Mouth Guards Are Important in Preventing Sport Injuries

 School is starting again and school sports is just around the corner.  Many kids will be starting, if not already, started practices for basketball, football, soccer, volleyball, etc.  With all these contact sports comes mouth related sport injuries from lip lacerations to broken and shattered teeth or worse repeated blunt trauma which shows up as root canals many years later in adulthood.
All these injuries can be prevented or injures significantly less severe with a Sport Mouth Guard. The mouth guard is made from a soft shock absorbing material which allows for a snug fit on the teeth, protect the teeth from hammering on each other during a traumatic event, protect the lips, cheek, tongue and gums from lacerations, and may lessen the chances of a concussion.
There are two ways of making a mouth guard.  One is a take home method where a ‘boil and bite’ material is placed into very hot almost boiling water and then you put in into your mouth and bite and suck to get it to mold over your teeth.  This option is great for growing kids with both adult and baby teeth still present or with braces.  This types of ‘boil and bite’ are very affordable and come in multiple packs and various colors.  As your child grows or his/her tooth fall out and come in, you can easily make a new one ensuring a good fit of the mouth guard.  Because the material is easily reshaped with hot water, these types of mouth guards typically do not last for a long time.
The other type of mouth guard is made in a dental office.  They come in a variety of colors and styles and is custom made at a dental lab.  The material is more resilient and the custom fit makes wearing the mouth guard more comfortable.  They are the ones professional and collegiate athletes wear.  This type of dental mouth guard is recommended for patients who have all there adult teeth and plan to wear the mouth guard for a long time.  The cost is higher than the over the counter ‘boil and bite’ type mouth guards.
Having your child wear a sports mouth guard is an important part of his/her sports equipment. It prevents soft tissue (lips, cheeks) and teeth injuries. There are some case-studies indicating the prevention or lessening of sports related concussions by reducing the forces from a facial blunt force trauma from contact sports.
Be sure to speak with the coach of your child’s team making sure some form of sports mouth guard is required or in some schools included in their uniform costs.
The office is located at 27420 Tourney Road, Ste 280 in Valencia.  For more information, please call 661-253-0588 and visit online at: www.drfangdds.com.