Football players wear helmets to protect their heads from concussions and brain injury, as well as pads to protect their bodies. The same is true of hockey players. Baseball players wear helmets to protect their heads and gloves to protect their hands. But what about the teeth? According to the Journal of the American Dental Association, 13 to 39 percent of all dental injuries are sports-related. Studies have shown that wearing athletic mouthguards during sports can protect athletes by greatly reduce dental injuries and head trauma.
Mouthguards Reduce the Risk of Dental Fractures
Dental fractures occur when there is a crack in the tooth that affects the enamel, exposes the dentin, or exposes the pulp. Dental fractures require restorative treatments, such as fillings or crowns. These injuries occur during sports when something, such as a baseball, hits the athlete in the mouth. Mouthguards provide a cushion over the teeth, reducing the chance that a direct hit to the teeth will cause damage.
Mouthguards Protect Against Tooth Displacement
Tooth displacement can include intrusion (tooth into bone), extrusion (partially displaced outside of the socket), or lateral luxation (the tooth moves in a different direction). When an athlete sustains a hit to the mouth, the force is often enough to push a tooth out of place. However, when that athlete wears a mouthguard, the mouthguard cushions the teeth and distributes the force of the hit evenly across the mouth, reducing the risk of tooth displacement.
Mouthguards Prevent Tooth Loss
With harder hits, it is entirely possible to have a tooth knocked out during a sports injury. How many hockey players have you seen with missing teeth? However, the cushion and force-displacement that a mouthguard provides reduce the risk of having a tooth knocked out.
Mouthguards Protect Against Soft-Tissue Injuries
Often a sports-related hit won’t damage the teeth, but instead cause an athlete to bite down on their lip or check, creating soft tissue trauma. Because a mouthguard covers the surface of the teeth with a cushion, these soft tissue injuries are not possible.
Mouthguards Reduce the Risk of Jaw Fractures and Injuries
Severe blows to the head and jaw can cause the teeth to come together with extreme force. Unfortunately, the jaw does not provide a lot of flexibility in this case and jaw fractures can occur. With a mouthguard in place, however, there is an additional cushion that takes some of the force from the blow, reducing the risk of a potential fracture.
Milton S. Hershey Medical Center lists the use of mouthguards during sporting activities as the top method of prevention when it comes to broken or dislocated jaws. SportingSmiles knows the importance of custom-fit mouthguards and offers them at a discounted price so that everyone can be protected.
Custom-Fit Mouthguards Can Reduce Concussion Risk
In addition to preventing dental injuries, there is evidence that wearing a mouthguard during sporting activities could lessen the chance of a concussion. In a 2005 laboratory study, researchers applied direct blows to the mandibular undersurface (lower jaw), similar to a hit sustained in football. They discovered that wearing a mouthguard significantly decreased the distortion of the lower jaw, as well as the acceleration of the head. They recommended more studies but believe that mouthguards can play a crucial role in reducing concussions seen in sports.
However, when it comes to mouthguards and concussions, the type of mouthguard you wear makes all the difference. A 2014 study published in General Dentistry reported that football players wearing store-bought stock mouthguards were more than twice as likely to suffer mild concussions than those wearing custom-fit mouthguards. The study divided 412 players across six high school teams. Half of the athletes wore custom-fit mouthguards while the others wore stock guards. Findings showed that 8.3 percent of stock guard wearers suffered concussions. In contrast, only 3.6 percent of the players wearing custom-fit guards sustained concussions.
At SportingSmiles, we offer custom-fitted mouthguards using our patented self-impression kits done in the comfort of your own home. The same top quality you get from a dentist without the cost of a dental visit. For more information, visit HERE.
