Safety Tips for Preventing Oral Trauma

From school-sponsored team events to adult city leagues, exercise-related damage is not uncommon. Oral care specialists have documented that approximately 30 percent of dental injuries occur while playing athletics. Almost 80 percent of these occurrences result in a minimum of one or both front teeth getting chipped or dislocated, along with injury to soft tissue. However, players who wear a mouth guard limit their odds of tooth loss, tooth breakages, and gum and palate nicks. It simultaneously guards against concussions and jaw fractures by dampening the momentum from an impact to the face.

The team at Made Ya Smile Rayford, TX is a community-centered dental practice that offers comprehensive treatment to the populace in the Spring, TX region.

Athletic safety and protecting your teeth

Organized sports with the greatest number of dental damages are football, soccer, baseball, softball, lacrosse, basketball, and hockey. Biking, skating, and skateboarding are additional sports with elevated likelihood of leading to dental damage. Regrettably, according to the American Dental Association, 84 percent of children don't put on a mouth guard during a contact activity. It is not usually a essential piece of safety equipment like helmets, shoulder pads, chin guards, etc. It is advisable to use recommended care to protect your skin, muscles, and bones, and wearing a mouth guard could protect against oral issues and lower chances of tooth dislocation when entering into a high-contact athletic activity. More recreational security pieces of advice include:

Play in a full set of mandatory safety paraphernalia
Wear a head guard
Wear a secure face barrier to guard against cranial trauma, particularly while competing in football, hockey, or lacrosse
Play with a mouth guard, even if it is optional

Athletics safety: several types of mouth guards

Unfortunately, a mouth guard is not commonly issued as safety gear when engaging in a impact activity. Even so, the most common reasons for oral problems happen when teammates fail to equip a mouth guard. Our dental experts at Made Ya Smile Rayford, TX hopes to help educate Spring, TX players about playing with a mouth guard and shielding their oral health. We recommend three essential categories of mouth guards:

Stock mouth guards are ready-made to wear out of the box but often don't fit well. They can be found at any store where you can purchase athletic equipment.
Thermoplastic mouth guards can be found at most stores where you can purchase athletic equipment and come in an unmolded configuration to be formed by submerging in boiling water.
Custom-crafted mouth guards can be created with a consultation at Made Ya Smile Rayford, TX. They provide the recommended alignment and defense.

In urgent situations

In the situation that a fully developed tooth is knocked out, the most advisable approach is to put it back in. However, in the event that your athlete gets a baby tooth knocked out, don't make an effort to reinsert it; instead, contact your dentist immediately. Even when a tooth is dislocated, it commonly can be salvaged by visiting the dentist without delay for immediate oral care and carrying out these guidelines:

Pick up the tooth quickly
If dirty, clean with water
Hold the tooth by the top surface, not the roots
Set it back into the socket (just if an adult tooth)
Softly bite a padded object or towel to keep it in place
If a absent tooth cannot be placed back into the socket, contain it in a glass of milk while seeking immediate dental care

Dental emergencies do take place – but utilizing a mouth guard when participating in strenuous sports or playing many competitive athletic activities outstandingly decreases your expectations of dental concerns. Even when our facility is not open, be sure to try to adhere to the instructions shared on our office voice recording, which will tell you what to do next if you must seek out immediate oral care. If you are seeking primary dental services in Spring, TX, call Made Ya Smile Rayford, TX or set up an exam.