Dr. Baker Chambliss wants you to remember that mouthguards shouldn’t only be used during football season. In fact, mouthguards should be worn for most spring sports. You may already associate maxillofacial injuries with familiar spring sports such as basketball or volleyball, but if your child is in acrobatics, soccer, lacrosse, or even rides horses, a custom mouthguard from Medplex Pediatric Dentistry may be their best protection against orofacial injury.
All athletes are extremely susceptible to dental trauma. Dental injuries are the most common type of orofacial injury. An athlete has a 10% chance of receiving an orofacial injury every season of play. In addition, athletes have a 33-56% chance of receiving an orofacial injury during their playing career.
Mouthguards act as a barrier and stratify risk of damage to teeth, between teeth/braces and the cheeks, between the lips and tongue. With this protection, they reduce the risk of soft tissue damage.
The ideal mouthguard also:
- Doesn’t muffle your child’s ability to speak or breathe easily.
- Doesn’t move around in your child’s mouth during play.
- Doesn’t feel uncomfortable or ill fitting.
- Isn’t impossible to clean or quickly become broken or bent.
- Doesn’t have odor or develop an unpleasant taste.
Custom made mouthguards are the only type of mouthguards that fit all the ideal qualities listed above. Since every child’s mouth is different, we strong suggest a custom-made mouthguard for the highest level of protection.
Medplex Pediatric Dentistry is a pediatric dentist office in Birmingham, AL.