As a local family dentist, we can protect your teeth from being damaged while playing sports. It is extremely common for people to get a tooth injury while practicing or playing the game. It doesn’t matter what sport you play or how often you play it, people are at risk of injuring their tooth and often do. In fact, around 40 percent of adult tooth injuries are due to playing sports and the American Dental Association claims that 13 to 39 percent of tooth loss is due to sports injuries. When you consider the fact that most adults don’t play organized sports, these numbers become even more significant.
You can take an active role in protecting your teeth from becoming injured. It starts with a healthy diet that will make your teeth stronger. Eating nuts, dairy products, lean protein, and veggies will help to strengthen your teeth. You can also brush with fluoride toothpaste so that minerals are deposited directly onto your teeth. This is important because as people age they tend to lose the minerals that make their teeth strong. These are ways to re-mineralize your teeth and keep them healthy. By doing so, you decrease the risk that they will become injured during the game.
As a family dentist, we understand that it doesn’t matter if you are in a soccer league or playing a pickup game of basketball. In any sport where you can come in contact with another person or ball, your teeth are at risk. The goal is to minimize this risk as much as possible. In addition to keeping your teeth in good oral health at home, you should also visit our dental office for a teeth cleaning twice a year. This way we can remove any lingering bacteria and plaque in order to keep cavities and gum disease away. When teeth are free from infection, they can withstand the potential damage caused by accidents.
We also recommend that you, and all the athletes in your family, wear a mouth guard. The American Dental Association estimates that every year more than 200,000 injuries are prevented by college and high school football players wearing a mouth guard. This is only one sport and one demographic. It doesn’t take into account the people playing sports like hockey, rugby, basketball, soccer, and baseball. All of these sports are high energy, and your mouth can come in contact with a flying ball or flying elbow. Sports like basketball do not require the player to wear a mouth guard, but it is still very dangerous. The University of California found that 11 percent of their basketball players experienced a tooth injury. When you combine this with the knowledge that 40 percent of adult tooth injuries is due to playing sports, it makes a compelling case for wearing a mouth guard.
If you are playing sports and your tooth does become injured, we can help. As a family dentist office, we can repair and restore your tooth to its natural state in no time.
