Help Your Kids Play It Safe This Spring With a Sports Mouth Guard

Spring sports season is here! Are your athletes ready to play it safe?

True or false:

Youth football and hockey players have the highest number of dental-related facial injuries.

False. Mouth guards have been mandatory for football, ice hockey, and lacrosse for decades, so the number of facial injuries in these sports has declined dramatically. The majority of mouth injuries actually occur in other popular sports, including basketball, baseball, and gymnastics. According to a study published in the Journal of Pediatric Dentistry, roughly three times more dental-related injuries occur in basketball than in football.

True or false:

Boys are more likely to experience facial and dental-related injuries than girls.

False. Recent studies report that dental-related injuries in girls exceed those of boys.

These eye-opening statistics might be surprising, but they emphasize an important point: Kids in Muncie need mouth guards to help prevent against painful and expensive injuries, including broken, cracked, and lost teeth, jaw and joint fractures, and cuts and infections.

What is a mouth guard?

A mouth guard is made of soft plastic and is fitted in the inside of the mouth to protect the lips, cheeks, teeth, and tongue against injury.

Know your options.

There are three primary types of mouth guards available:

1. Ready-made stock. These are inexpensive and come in various sizes, but may not fit well.

2. Boil-and-bite. A boil-and-bite mouth guard offers a semi-custom fit and usually ranges between $10 and $15.

3. Custom-fit. This is the best option for children that participate in a number of sports and for kids who wear braces. Because they are custom-made in our Muncie dental office, they offer a tight fit and the best protection.

Who should wear mouth guards?

Youths that participate in any of the following activities should wear mouth protection:

• Basketball

• Field and ice hockey

• Football

• Gymnastics

• Lacrosse

• Martial arts

• Racquetball

• Rugby

• Skateboarding

• Skiing and snowboarding

• Soccer

• Volleyball

• Water polo

• Wrestling

• Any sport that could result in being hit in the face by a ball, an elbow, or a piece of equipment

Get your pint-sized players and teenage athletes ready for spring and summer sports! Dr. Pyle can fit your kids for mouthguards in our Muncie office during his/her next cleaning appointment. Book their appointments by calling 765-288-6121 today!