{"id":1153,"date":"2020-08-21T07:27:17","date_gmt":"2020-08-21T07:27:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.trucaredentistry.com\/blog\/?p=1153"},"modified":"2023-10-30T01:36:11","modified_gmt":"2023-10-30T01:36:11","slug":"mouthguard-important-for-kids-in-contact-sports","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.trucaredentistry.com\/blog\/mouthguard-important-for-kids-in-contact-sports\/","title":{"rendered":"Why is using a mouthguard important for kids participating in contact sports?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<ul class=\"wp-block-gallery alignleft columns-1 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/www.trucaredentistry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/children-mouthguard.png\" alt=\"children mouthguard\" data-id=\"1157\" data-link=\"https:\/\/www.trucaredentistry.com\/blog\/?attachment_id=1157\" class=\"wp-image-1157\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.trucaredentistry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/children-mouthguard.png 400w, https:\/\/www.trucaredentistry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/children-mouthguard-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/www.trucaredentistry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/children-mouthguard-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/www.trucaredentistry.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/children-mouthguard-365x365.png 365w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>\nFootball, baseball,\nbasketball, soccer, and boxing-related injuries cause most emergency\nroom visits involving athletes under the age of 19. Every year, 3 to\n11 percent of school kids end up in hospitals with some or the other\nkind of sport-related injury. Most reported accidents are related to\nthe face, knee, finger, head, and ankle. Concussions, scrapes,\nbruises, and broken bones are commonly diagnosed, and so are dental\nand orofacial injuries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\n<strong>Commonly reported sports\nmouth injuries<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>\nThe American Association of\nEndodontists\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aae.org\/patients\/dental-symptoms\/knocked-out-teeth\/\" rel=\"nofollow\">data\nindicates<\/a>\nthat roughly five million Americans lose teeth every year due to\nsports-related accidents. Tooth intrusion, cracked teeth, and\nfractured roots make it in the list of top five issues caused due to\nthese mishaps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li> <strong>Fractured or cracked teeth<\/strong> <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>\nAn abrupt blow to the face\nwhile playing contact sports can result in a cracked or fractured\ntooth. The severity of the damage may vary from one accident to the\nother. A severe injury may result in long term problems for children\nas well as adults.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\nLongitudinal cracks on the\nenamel are not considered a severe threat, but a split or crack that\nbegins from the crown and extends downward needs immediate attention.\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\nFluctuating tooth pain, cracks\non enamel that expose the dentin layer or tooth root are signs that\nindicate a cracked tooth. Such patients also experience pain while\neating, drinking hot and cold food items. People who experience these\nsymptoms should immediately opt for a dental check-up so that the\ndentist can examine the same and recommend the best treatment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\nIf required, dentists check\nfor signs of cuspal fracture and recommend a root canal or tooth\nextraction to avoid bacterial infection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>\n\n\t<strong>Fractured root<\/strong>\n<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>\nAt times, sports injuries can\nalso result in a fractured root. In such a case, the crack begins\nnear the root and moves towards the chewing surface. Patients often\nrealize the problem only when the infection starts developing. Such\nindividuals need to go for root canal therapy as soon as possible\nbecause the fracture may remain invisible to the naked eye. Only a\nroot canal (endodontic treatment) can save the tooth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>\n\n\t<strong>Tooth intrusion<\/strong>\n<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>\nDental intrusion happens when\nthe tooth gets driven back in the jawbone as a result of the injury.\nIt is common in children involved in sports as the alveolar bones\nholding the tooth socket are not hardened enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p> Such severe displacement injuries need immediate attention to avoid long-term dental issues. Depending on the severity of the injury, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.trucaredentistry.com\/blog\/dental-treatment-and-services-that-pediatric-dentists-provide\/\">pediatric dentist<\/a> would recommend splinting or orthodontic extrusion, surgery, or other treatments for repositioning the affected tooth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\n<strong>How can mouth guards help\nin reducing dental injuries?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>\nYoung athletes are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC4482297\/\" rel=\"nofollow\">1.6\nto 1.9 times more vulnerable<\/a>\nto orofacial injuries when they do not wear a mouthguard. Studies\nhave already proved that sports-related dental injuries can be\nconsiderably reduced with the help of mouthguards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\nThanks to the NCAA, using\nmouthguards is mandatory for participants in ice hockey, field\nhockey, men and women\u2019s lacrosse. The International Academy of\nSports Dentistry, as well as the American Dental Association,\nrecommends using mouth protection devices for participating in 30\nactivities. The list also includes basketball and baseball. However,\na minimal number of participants follow the recommendation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\nA mouthguard can protect\nplayers from injuries related to cheeks, lips, gums, tongue, and\nteeth. Some athletes avoid using mouth protection devices because\nthey feel these units affect communication, breathing, and cause\ndiscomfort. However, there is no research work or studies that\nsupport these claims suggesting these devices can cause severe\nbreathing problems during physical activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\nKids participating in sports\nwithout wearing a mouthguard are 60 times more vulnerable to injuries\ncompared to participants who use these devices while playing. So, you\nshould think twice before allowing your child to participate in\ncontact sports without wearing teeth protection devices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\n<strong>Different types of dental\nprotection devices<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>\nFor contact sports\nparticipants, dental care experts recommend boil and bite\nmouthguards, custom-made mouthguards, and stock mouthguards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\nStock mouthguards are\npre-formed; they may not fit correctly. Plus, they make talking\ndifficult for users. As the name suggests, boil and bite one needs to\nbe boiled in water. Players need to bite down the same. You can buy\nstock as well as boil and bite mouthguards at sports goods stores and\nretailers. Both are less expensive compared to custom-made devices,\nbut the level of protection differs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\nOn the other hand, custom\nmouthguards are made by dentists at the clinic. They fit perfectly\nand offer comfort to the users compared to other alternatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p> Remember, sports injuries can happen to anyone. Are you looking for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.trucaredentistry.com\/childrens-dentistry.php\">children\u2019s dentistry Roswell<\/a> (GA)? If you wish to discuss the options and select the best mouthguard for your little sportsman, you should consider fixing an appointment at TruCare Dentistry. The dental clinic follows all the ADA and CDC guidelines for ensuring patient and staff safety during the current COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Football, baseball, basketball, soccer, and boxing-related injuries cause most emergency room visits involving athletes under the age of 19. Every year, 3 to 11 percent of school kids end up in hospitals with some or the other kind of sport-related &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.trucaredentistry.com\/blog\/mouthguard-important-for-kids-in-contact-sports\/\">Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":1157,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[471,473,470,26,472],"class_list":["post-1153","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-children-dentistry","tag-children-dentistry-roswell","tag-dentist-in-roswell-ga","tag-mouthguard","tag-pediatric-dentist","tag-pediatric-dentist-in-roswell"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.trucaredentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1153","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.trucaredentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.trucaredentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.trucaredentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.trucaredentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1153"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.trucaredentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1153\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1161,"href":"https:\/\/www.trucaredentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1153\/revisions\/1161"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.trucaredentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1157"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.trucaredentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1153"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.trucaredentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1153"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.trucaredentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1153"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}