Most parents agree that putting a child in sports is great. Developing social and motor skills, promoting regular exercise disguised as fun, teaching essential life skills like time management, and learning about commitment are just some of the benefits. But as the parent, you have more to worry about than just driving MVPs to practice and keeping players hydrated. Learning about sports safety for your child’s mouth is the best way to avoid orthodontic emergencies during treatment.
Your child’s dental health is a significant concern when there is a possibility of taking a ball or body part to the mouth while playing sports. Whether your child has metal braces, a retainer, or Invisalign clear aligners, you should always protect their mouths to avoid painful injuries and permanent damage.
Dr. Davis, Dr. Goldberg, Dr. Seitz, and the experienced team at Davis & Goldberg Orthodontics have seen everything, from cut lips to broken appliances due to sports-related injuries. Major orthodontic emergencies are rare, so your child will unlikely experience one during treatment, but we want to prepare you just in case. Keep reading to learn more about avoiding mouth injuries and orthodontic emergencies while playing sports.
Sports and Dental Injuries
Sports-related dental injuries make up 40% of all dental injuries in the country. You may think high-speed sports involving a lot of contact and collisions are the only culprits for mouth injuries, but accidents always happen. A fall in a solo sport like skateboarding or gymnastics can result in a chipped tooth or broken bracket.
Children in treatment with Davis & Goldberg Orthodontics can still play their favorite sports. Just be sure to check their appliances and mouths if they have an accident during their athletic activity. If any part of your child’s braces appear damaged or the teeth seem loose, contact our High Point or Greensboro office to schedule an appointment for repair as soon as possible.
A quick assessment and early treatment are our top concerns when we evaluate and treat dental injuries. The most common injuries we see are tooth fractures, commonly referred to as a ‘chipped tooth,’ and soft tissue lacerations or cuts on your gums, tongue, or cheeks due to direct impact on the area. While inspecting for these types of injuries, we also check the motion of your jaw to address any jaw dislocation.
Some patients experience a more serious oral injury, such as luxation, when a tooth becomes displaced but still in the socket or even an avulsion in which the tooth becomes fully dislocated.
Sports-Related Mouth Protection
According to a survey by the American Association of Orthodontists, 99% of parents with children playing organized sports feel mouthguards should be required to play, but close to 40% of those parents said their child never wears one for practice or games.
Getting a kid to wear a mouthguard may seem as challenging as getting them to keep their room clean. However, mouthguards are one of the most inexpensive ways to protect your child’s teeth, tongue, gums, and cheeks during extra-curricular activities.
Orofacial and dental injuries are a risk for participants of all ages, genders, and skill levels during organized and unorganized sports. While most dental injuries happen during collision and contact sports, they can also occur in limited-contact, non-contact, and high-velocity activities.
The American Dental Association recommends dentist-fitted mouthguards for athletes of all ages in the following activities:
Contact/Collision Sports
- Basketball
- Boxing
- Combat Sports
- Football
- Handball
- Hockey (Ice and Field)
- Lacrosse
- Martial Arts
- Rugby
- Soccer
- Water Polo
- Wrestling
Limited Contact and Other Sports
- Acrobatics
- Baseball
- Bicycling
- Equestrian Events
- Field Events
- Gymnastics
- Inline Skating
- Racquetball
- Shot-Putting
- Skateboarding
- Skiing
- Skydiving
- Softball
- Squash
- Surfing
- Volleyball
- Weightlifting
Choosing and Caring for Your Mouthguards
As with any decision you face to keep your child safe, there are a few options to choose from with mouthguards. According to the ADA Council of Scientific Affairs and Council on Advocacy for Access and Prevention, an ideal mouthguard should:
- Be adequately fitted to the wearer’s mouth and accurately adapted to their oral structures
- Be made of resilient material approved by the FDA and cover all remaining teeth on one arch
- Stay in place comfortably and securely
- Be physiologically compatible with the wearer
- Be relatively easy to clean
- Have high-impact energy absorption to reduce or limit transmitted forces upon impact
If you are currently in orthodontic treatment with Davis & Goldberg Orthodontics, consult with your orthodontist to ensure the mouthguard will fit over your child’s appliances and not damage the device or harm their mouth if an impact occurs.
You will know you have a good fit if your child’s mouthguard is comfortable, provides adequate coverage, and doesn’t interfere with speaking or breathing. The three most common mouthguards are stock or pre-made, “Boil and Bite,” and custom-made. Take a look at the uses and differences below.
Pre-made Mouthguards
The pre-made option is the most common mouthguard, and it can be found in most sporting goods stores. These mouthguards come in various sizes and colors to suit anyone who might need one. We consider the stock mouthguard the least effective option because it has a generic design that is not adapted to any particular mouth, giving an improper fit and requiring you to keep your mouth shut to stay in place.
“Boil-and-Bite” Mouthguards
Mouth-formed mouthguards are commonly called “boil-and-bite” because they are designed to be briefly warmed in water to become soft and then cooled slightly and placed in the mouth to be bitten down on, creating a customized fit. These can also typically be found in sporting goods stores or ordered online. Occasionally, your orthodontist may help facilitate proper fit around dental appliances. Follow all manufacturer’s instructions precisely to ensure adequate heating and molding of the thermoplastic material and avoid improper shaping, creating a poorly fitted device with diminished protection.
Custom-made Mouthguards
Custom mouthguards are fabricated from individual patient impressions using thermoforming techniques in a dental office or lab. This fully customized mouthguard provides the best fit to adapt to your mouth while giving the most effective protection. While this is often the most expensive option for oral protection, the balanced occlusion and maximized tooth contact significantly reduce the risk of the mouthguard becoming displaced during high-impact activity. Our doctors encourage everyone who plans to play sports during treatment to consider a custom-made mouthguard to protect your investment in your new smile.
Orthodontic Emergencies
There will likely come a time when your active kid experiences their first sports-related dental injury. Remember to stay calm and carefully examine the damage so that you can explain it to your orthodontist. Next, contact our High Point or Greensboro office for specific instructions on caring for your injury until we see you in person. Here are some of the more common injuries we see and how to handle them until your visit.
Extruded or Laterally Displaced Tooth
This injury will look like a tooth is longer than usual and often appears with the displaced tooth being pushed back or pulled forward. To reposition this tooth, you need firm but precise pressure. This process is most effectively performed by a dental professional.
Fractured Tooth
A fractured tooth is often far scarier than the reality of the experience. To stabilize the broken or chipped tooth and control any bleeding, you can bite gently on a towel as you head to our office. If the toothpiece has completely come out of the mouth, it can be transported in milk, under your tongue, or wrapped in saline-soaked gauze.
Intruded Tooth
If the tooth looks like it is now shorter than usual, it has likely pushed into the bone and become intruded. An intruded tooth is a painful experience and requires an immediate visit to an emergency dentist. Do not attempt to pull the tooth out or reposition the tooth.
Missing Tooth
If the whole tooth has come out of the socket, pick the tooth up by the crown and be careful not to touch the roots. Gently rinse it in water and place the tooth back into the socket it came from, gently biting down on a towel to hold it in place as you head to the emergency dentist. As unbelievable as it may seem, a tooth placed back into the socket within 5 minutes of ejection can be permanently saved.
While these are the most common dental emergencies children in sports are likely to face, these are not all possibilities. Make sure you get to our office immediately after an injury.
Our team can completely remedy many mouth injuries caught in the first couple of hours without risk of permanent damage. If your child develops a fever, has trouble breathing or swallowing, or their bleeding doesn’t stop after about ten minutes of pressure, it could be a more serious concern, and you should go to the closest emergency room.
Trust Your Kids’ Oral Health and Safety to Davis & Goldberg Orthodontics
At Davis & Goldberg Orthodontics, we’re passionate about providing high-quality orthodontic care to patients in all sports and activities in High Point and Greensboro. When you come in for your free consultation or next check-up, let us know about the sports your child plays, and we can get you the information to help you pick the mouthguard that will fit your child’s mouth and needs best.
Dr. Davis, Dr. Goldberg, Dr. Seitz, and our friendly team are standing by with the education and experience you need to get the smile of your dreams without giving up the sport you love. Schedule a FREE consultation today!
