4S Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics
Educate and Protect
Preventing and Treating Sports-Related Dental Injuries
Whether it’s a pick-up game of basketball after school or a competitive travel softball league, playing sports is a rite of passage for many kids. Playing sports and being active provides many benefits to children but parents, coaches, and trainers must also consider the risk of injury and take proper precautions. Although some sports-related dental injuries are unavoidable, many can be prevented with properly fitted helmets, face masks, and mouth guards.
Sports-related traumatic dental injuries most often result from falls, collisions, or contact with other players, sports equipment, or hard surfaces. Protective equipment, such as a properly fitted mouth guard, takes the brunt of the force of impact and reduces the likelihood of a severe dental trauma. The American Dental Association and the International Academy of Sports Dentistry recommend the use of mouth guards in 29 sports or activities; however, currently the National Federation of State High School Associations only mandates the wearing of mouth guards in football, ice hockey, lacrosse, field hockey, and wrestlers with braces. Educating sports organizations, parents, coaches, and trainers on the benefits of protective equipment is key to reducing the potential of traumatic dental injuries to kids playing sports.
If a dental emergency, such as a lost or fractured tooth, tooth intrusion, or fractured root occurs, see a pediatric dentist right away. If too much time passes between the injury and proper treatment, the child can suffer long-term effects to their dental health. However, the good news is that modern dentistry can repair almost any sports-related tooth injury.