If you’ve ever been in a sports match, you have probably seen opponents or other players wearing custom mouthguards. Surprisingly, although recommended for various sports, they are not required in most cases. Unfortunately, that leaves many children, teens, and other athletes exposed to the potential for injuries to their mouth, jaw, teeth, or tongue.
Let’s explore how custom mouthguards are helpful in popular sports.
Football
Football is a game with intense physical activity. As a result, injury risk to the mouth or jaw during football is high, even for professionals. Wearing a custom mouthguard can protect athletes who play any type of football from hard impacts, mouth lacerations, and tooth fractures.
Basketball
A mouthguard is a must-have for all basketball players. In addition to protecting the teeth in a fall, a mouthguard can absorb impact from other players’ elbows and forearms when they are in the heat of the game.
High school basketball players are particularly at risk for injuries to their teeth, jaw, and mouth because they experience a high intensity of physical activity in their games.
Wrestling
When wrestling becomes more intense or aggressive, athletes put themselves at greater risk of sustaining traumatic head or neck injuries that could cause bleeding into the mouth or jaw. In addition, while most injuries result from an impact, many wrestlers suffer from broken or dislodged teeth that can cause pain and discomfort.
Field Hockey
Field hockey is another sport where athletes have an increased risk of mouth and neck injuries due to aggressive behavior on the field. A custom mouthguard can protect an athlete’s teeth, jaw, tongue, and lips.
Baseball
While baseball is a non-contact sport, it has its share of injuries caused by accidental body collisions with other players on the field. As a result, dentists recommend all athletes wear a custom mouthguard while playing baseball to protect their teeth from fractures.
Gymnastics
For any sport where athletes perform routines on a balance beam, they experience the risk of falls and impact injuries. Wearing a custom mouthguard is essential to protect an athlete’s teeth, jaw, and tongue during routines.
While you may not think of your child needing a mouthguard to play with friends on the playground or in backyard games, many injuries can happen without warning, even when you’re just playing around.
Motocross
Motocross is one of the most dangerous sports, with its athletes at high risk for impacts, crashes, and collisions that could cause broken bones or even death. One of the most common injuries that motocross athletes suffer is a broken jaw or nose bone fracture.
Wearing a custom mouthguard can help protect a motocross athlete’s face and jaw from damage due to accident or impact.
If you want your son or daughter to be more confident and safer when playing and participating in their favorite sports, consider the benefits of wearing a custom mouthguard. Then, visit our website to learn more about what you can do to protect your child’s teeth and jaw.
Custom mouthguards and nightguards for Northern Kentucky and the entire Tri-state.
Designs in Ortho offers a custom bite guard solution from a professional licensed dental lab with over 40 years of experience.
