Sports Mouth Guards

Fall is in the air! And what that means is back to school, Sunday football and sports! Lots and lots of sports. If your child is in any contact sport it is very important and sometimes required to have protection for their mouth. This could certainly cut down on the frantic Saturday afternoon phone calls.

There are several types of mouth injuries ranging from a simple chip, a bloodied lip, or a fully avulsed tooth. An avulsed tooth means the whole tooth comes out. A chipped tooth may look bad and may be sensitive but that is all normal and a visit with the dentist could be scheduled for a regular work day. A bloodied lip often times looks worse than it really is due to how many blood vessels are in the mouth and then when mixed with saliva it looks like a lot. Let's go over how to properly handle each of these situations.

When it comes to a bloody lip simply place firm pressure on the area and use ice if you have that available. There are many over the counter remedies to help soothe the healing wound. If sutures are necessary be sure to contact urgent care or your dentist. Most of the time these injuries are best taken care of with some ice and rest. If you are dealing with a chipped tooth, like I stated earlier, this is something that can be taken care of during normal business hours. Though the tooth may be sensitive, as long as you can avoid over use, waiting till the work week won't cause any long-term damages.  Now if you avulsed a tooth we are talking some serious contact! There are a couple of good strategies on how to properly handle the loose tooth and vacated space in the mouth; Place the tooth under the tongue to keep moist and to keep the proper enzymes in contact with the tooth or you can put the tooth in milk. If no milk is available then I would put it in at least water. There are some commercially available “Save-a-Tooth” solutions but this might not be readily available. Get to a dentist right away so the tooth can be re-implanted and splinted before a clot is formed at the base of the socket. If a tooth is simply displaced try to put it in the proper position and get to a dentist. The dentist can anesthetize if needed and splint the tooth.

Not only do sports mouth guards protect the teeth but it can protect your child from concussions. Mouth guards help prevent concussions because they help absorb shock, stabilize the head and neck, and limit movement caused by a direct hit to the jaw.

Many kiddos struggle with the boil and bite, over the counter mouth guards as they can be bulky and awkward.  A study published in the May/June 2014 issue of General Dentistry, the peer reviewed clinical journal of the Academy of General Dentistry, showed that custom made mouth guards decreased brain injury by half vs. the boil and bite mouth guards.

At Post Falls Family Dental we take an impression or mold of the upper teeth and fabricate a custom fit mouthguard for your child. We can even customize it to their school or team colors, their name and favorite logo. We want to make having a mouth guard cool rather than feel required. Call today and get your custom made sports mouth guard.