Mouthguards
Sports Dentistry is the treatment and prevention of oral/facial athletic injuries and related oral diseases and manifestations.
In sports, the challenge is to maximize the benefits of participation and to limit injuries. Sports dentistry has a major role to play in this area.
In some sports, injury prevention, through properly fitted mouthguards are considered essential. These are the contact sports of football, boxing, martial arts, and hockey. Other sports, traditionally classified as noncontact sports, basketball, baseball, bicycle riding, roller blading, soccer, wrestling, racquetball, surfing, and skateboarding also require properly fitted mouthguards, as dental injuries unfortunately, are a negative aspect of participation in these sports.
The custom made mouthguards are designed by your dentist and are the most satisfactory of all types of mouth protectors. They fulfill all the criteria for adaptation, retention, comfort, and stability of material. They interfere the least with speaking and studies have shown that the custom made mouthguard has virtually no effect on breathing.
It is estimated by the American Dental Association that mouthguards prevent approximately 200,000 injuries each year in high school and collegiate football.
The American Dental Association recommends wearing custom mouthguards for the following sports: acrobats, basketball, boxing, field hockey, football, gymnastics, handball, ice hockey, lacrosse, martial arts, racquetball, roller hockey, rugby, shot putting, skateboarding, skiing, skydiving, soccer, squash, surfing, volleyball, water polo, weightlifting, wrestling.
