Mouth Guards
Protecting Your Child’s Smile
As a parent, you want to take proper precautions when your child is playing a sport. Some common protective equipment required for many sports includes wearing helmets, chest protectors, cleats, pads and straps. Sports-related dental injuries for children and teens are more common than you might think, and they are often preventable with well-fitted mouth protection, also known as a mouth guard. Pediatric Dentistry of Fredericksburg offers custom-made mouth guards to use during vigorous recreational activities, contact and non-contact sports.
Why Mouth Guards Are Important
Using a custom-made mouth guard during practices and sporting events will protect your child’s teeth from severe dental injuries. Mouth guards are usually worn on the top row of teeth and should fit snugly enough not to move around inside the mouth. If your child has dental work such as orthodontics, or prior restorative treatment, protecting the teeth is even more vital. As we know, dental injuries are painful and often require several separate appointments to resolve.
Several sports mandate the use of mouth guards like wrestling, ice hockey, field hockey, football and lacrosse. Other sports such as baseball, softball and soccer strongly encourage the use of mouth guards for protection and prevention of dental injuries.
Types Of Sports-Related Dental Injuries
Depending on the sports your child plays, dental injuries can range from:
Custom-Made Mouth Guards
At Pediatric Dentistry of Fredericksburg, we offer custom-made mouth guards, which provide a comfortable fit because they are fabricated using an impression of your child’s teeth. When your child’s mouth guard is comfortable, they will be more likely to wear it, which will reduce the chance of and severity of dental injuries during sporting events.
Over-The-Counter Mouth Guards
Over-the-counter mouth guards are also available and will provide protection for the teeth if your child does not have a custom-made mouth guard. The most important aspect of protecting primary and permanent teeth during contact and non-contact sports is compliance. Often, mouthguards are viewed as optional and that they might not help very much, but people who have sustained a dental injury would agree that prevention is better than intervention.
What To Do If My Child Has A Dental Emergency
If your child has sustained a significant dental injury, you should seek advice immediately. Please call Pediatric Dentistry of Fredericksburg at (540) 371-3222 to schedule an appointment as soon as possible. If it is after hours, you will receive the number of one of our pediatric dentists who will speak with you and be able to assess the level of injury to determine if immediate attention is required. Please don’t hesitate to call, as we are always here to help you and your children.
