On the soccer field to the tennis court, kids are heading back to train and practice for fall sports season.
As a parent, you take great care making sure that your child has all the team gear they need for their sport, but what about their mouth? As your child’s games and sport events are right around the corner, with them comes the threat of mouth and facial-related injuries that can send kids to to the dentists—or worse—emergency rooms.
Let’s look at the jaw-dropping facts about sports-related injuries:
- According to the American Dental Association, an estimated 12 million people, ages 5 through 22, experience a sports-injury annually, which leads to approximately $33 billion in healthcare costs.
- It is estimated that more than 5 million teeth are knocked out or lost each year through a sports injury, accident or just good old-fashioned playtime.
- During one single season, athletes have a 1 in 10 chance of suffering a facial or dental injury.
- Studies show that athletes are 60 times more likely to suffer injury to the mouth when they are not wearing mouth guards.
- The American Association of Orthodontics (AAO) found that 67 percent of parents do not compel their children to wear a mouth guard for organized sports.
- According to Safe Kids Worldwide, 62 percent of sports-related injuries actually occur during practice.
Oftentimes, parents don’t think twice about helmets, sports pads and kneepads for protective gear against sports-related injuries, but as you can see by these statistics, mouth guards are an equally important part to the injury prevention equation.
The bottom line? Guard those teeth!
A well-fitting mouthguard can protect against serious injuries to your teeth such as cracks, breaks or even displacement. In fact, according to the American Dental Association, mouthguards prevent up to 200,000 facial injuries each year. And let’s not forget the costs! Mouth guards are considerably less expensive versus the treatment for an injury! According to the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD), treatment for losing a tooth can be costly over a lifetime, ranging between $5,000 and $20,000, whereas a mouthguard is typically less than $100.
If your children are involved in sports, make sure to check for mouthguards at the next practice, or purchase one for them! Standard mouth guards are effective but uncomfortable at times. Bite-and-fit mouthguards, as the name suggests, can be molded to fit your child’s mouth and are usually much more comfortable. Though both are great options and can prevent dental and facial injuries, they aren’t always accommodating for braces or other appliances. For that perfect fit, visit your dentist and they’ll walk you through their custom mouthguard options!
Let us help your child enjoy a winning season and smile!
If you have any questions about mouth injury prevention, contact us. We can discuss your family’s activity and sports needs and explore options to make sure you don’t have to come see us with an emergency.
If you or a loved one is dealing with dental issues from a face injury, schedule an appointment with Dr. Stante and let us provide our cosmetic and restorative dentistry expertise.