Top Reasons To Wear An Athletic Mouthgard
Athletic Mouthguard
For many adults and children who play contact sports, an athletic mouthguard is often overlooked. However, not wearing an athletic mouthguard can lead to damage to your smile and facial tissues. Many people are unaware of the need for an athletic mouthguard, others just don’t think they are cool, and others might complain they are uncomfortable.
For safety, every contact sport requires a well made athletic mouthguard. This will be essential to keeping your mouth and face protected. Below you will find the most important reasons to wear an athletic mouthguard.
What Can An Athletic Mouthguard Do For Me?
–Protect Against Tooth Fractures. Trauma to the mouth will often lead to a fractured tooth. An athletic mouthguard can help prevent or decrease the severity of these types of injuries, preserving your smile. If a tooth does get fractured, below are a few of the possible outcomes…
1. Small, Superficial Fracture. If the fracture is small enough and stays away from the nerve of the tooth, your dentist can probably repair it with tooth bonding. Tooth bonding uses a tooth colored material to match your existing teeth and restore form and function.
2. Fracture Exposing The Nerve Of The Tooth. At this point to save the tooth, root canal therapy will be needed and then rebuilding the tooth with a full coverage crown.
3. Fracture All The Way Down To The Root Of The Tooth. A fracture this large usually leaves only one option and that is a tooth extraction. Then to replace the tooth will invlolve placement of a dental implant, a fixed dental bridge, or a removable denture.
–Protect Against Teeth Displacement. One of the main functions of an athletic mouthguard is to cushion any trauma that occurs around your teeth area. If you are hit in the face by a baseball when not wearing an athletic mouthguard, the tooth may not fracture but it could loosen your tooth and make it mobile or even fall out. A dentist may need to splint your teeth together to allow the tooth to heal on its own. Proper treatment should help lessen the chances of permanent loss of the affected tooth.
–Protect Against Knocking A Tooth Out. Blunt force trauma can literally knock a tooth out of its socket. This is called an avulsed tooth. Fortunately, if cared for properly and placed back in as soon as possible there is a chance of the tooth being saved. An athletic mouthguard decreases the chance of this from even happening.
–Possibly Protect Against Concussions. These types of injuries are all over the news of late with big time sports stars lives irrevocably damaged due to multiple concussions. Recent research has shown that wearing a well fitting athletic mouthguard may possibly lower the possibility of concussions. The athletic mouthguard acts as a cushion to lessen the force placed on the brain from contact sports. More research is needed for definitive proof.
–Protect The Lips, Tongue, and Cheeks. When undergoing trauma, we have a tendency to bite down. Without an athletic mouthguard in place, we tend to bite down on the soft tissues in and around the mouth. Athletic Mouthguards can keep you from damaging those softer tissues while enjoying your favorite activities.
–Protect Against Fractures Of The Jaw. Again, when undergoing trauma the force can be lessened by the cushion of the athletic mouthguard. Without that padding the force can break your jaw into pieces. A jaw fracture usually requires extensive surgery to repair.
Athletic Mouthguard Conclusion
A custom made athletic mouthguard costs more than a store bought one. The benefits of a custom athletic mouthguard are numerous. A poor fitting athletic guard may be a risk not worth taking. Once a tooth is gone it is gone, concussion trauma causes long term issues, and jaw fractues are a huge concern. Why take the risk of damaging your beautiful smile? Or even your quality of life?
If you are ready for a smile makeover, contact Marielaina Perrone DDS at (702) 458-2929 to schedule a no cost cosmetic consultation appointment. We cannot wait to help you with your smile makeover to create the smile of your dreams.