Sport Guards
In a time where sports are played harder and faster than ever before, precaution must be taken to protect one’s self, including your teeth. A custom fabricated sports guard provides protection to the teeth and gums, while reducing the risk of fractures and other damaging injuries. Because our mouth guards are made specific to your teeth, the fit and function of our sports guards will exceed those bought in sports stores.
King Street Dental is proud of our history in Westdale and would like to show our appreciation by running semi-annual mouth guard clinics for people in our community. Prior to the start of winter and summer sport seasons, you can sign up for a custom fabricated sports guard at a very low cost, even if you are not one of our patients. Contact us at King Street Dental for further details.
Article: Sports Guards
In recent years, concussions as a result of sports injuries have garnered a great deal of media attention – and with good reason. Responsible for a wide range of physical signs and symptoms, including dizziness, vomiting, vision and hearing problems, concussions are serious injuries that demand recognition and treatment. While we often hear about the post-concussion struggles that famous athletes such as Sidney Crosby and Brett Favre endure, it is important to realize that these injuries can happen close to home too. A recent study found that 35% of all reported concussions occurred in the 8-13 year old age group, with more than half as a direct result of a sports injury. The most common sport leading to these concussions was hockey, with football a close second.
Great steps have been taken to help reduce the risk of concussions in youth sports including properly fitted helmets, penalizing blows to the head, and better recognition of the signs and symptoms. Clinical research has also suggested that a well-fitted mouth guard can further reduce this risk. These mouth guards, or sports guards, come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and materials, all with the goal of helping to protect the teeth, jaw bones, skull, and brain of the person using them.
If worn properly, mouth guards have been shown to reduce the risk of broken teeth, fractured jaws, cut lips, and head injuries in sports, particularly contact sports. The critical point to remember in all of this is that the mouth guard must fit properly and be worn properly to be effective.
An ill-fitting mouth guard has been shown to actually increase the risk of jaw fracture and it has been suggested that frequent use may even lead to possible arthritis in the jaw joint. The common “boil-and-bite” type mouth guard that can be purchased at any sports store can give the false impression that it fits properly but depending on the alignment of the top and bottom teeth, may actually do more harm than good. Numerous studies have shown that the most effective fitting mouth guards require accurate impressions of all of the teeth as well as an understanding of how the two jaws relate to each other.
Your dentist should be able to provide these sports guards for you and your family at a reasonable cost. By having a mouth guard custom made by an oral health professional, you can be sure that all of the factors that make for a well-fitting guard have been considered including the size, shape, and alignment of your teeth, the shape of the roof of your mouth, and the movement of your jaws while playing sports. The number one objective of any sport should be to have fun, but it is important to do so in a safe manner!
