With school starting up, your kids have likely begun fall sports. As more and more children sign up for competitive sports, more and more injuries are reported. In addition to a broken arm or sprained ankle are maxillofacial injuries. In fact, this type of injury makes up between 10 and 20 percent of unintentional sports injuries in children.
What dental injuries can occur while playing sports?
- Fracture: Root fracture, broken or chipped tooth
- Avulsion: Entire tooth is knocked out, including the root
- Luxation: Tooth is misaligned in the socket
The National Youth Sports Foundation says that an athlete is 60 times more likely to experience damage to the teeth when he or she is not wearing a mouth guard. Many of these injuries can result in permanent damage and require extensive treatment.
Fortunately, mouth guards are widely available for children who are involved in sports. You can find out if your child should wear a mouth guard in his or her respective sport by consulting with your dentist, but here is a list of sports where dental damage may occur when not wearing a mouth guard:
- Basketball
- Boxing
- Football
- Gymnastics
- Hockey
- Lacrosse
- Martial Arts
- Rugby
- Skateboarding
- Skiing
- Soccer
- Volleyball
- Wrestling
Once you determine whether your child needs a mouth guard, you have three options:
- Ready-made mouth guard from a store. These are similar to a “one size fits all” option.
- “Boil and bite” guard that forms to the shape of your child’s teeth and mouth.
- Custom-made guard provided from your dentist.
It goes without saying that a guard custom-made is the most effective, but it is also a bit more expensive. Any of the above choices are better than nothing, so make sure to purchase a guard before the sports season begins.
We hope you all have a great school (and sport) year!