Mouth Guards Protect Contact Sports Athletes from Injuries

Each year, athletes suffer from facial and mouth injuries. This is true especially for those who are playing contact sports such as hockey, football, and mixed martial arts. If you are into sports and you want to protect yourself, you need to wear a mouth guard.

According to statistics, approximately five million teeth are knocked out each year due to face injuries. What is more, millions are spent to replace each tooth. Dentists state that sports-related dental injuries amount to 39% of all incidents and, in order to lessen this number, athletes are required to wear mouth protectors.

Aside from preventing the teeth from being knocked off, mouth guards prohibit lacerations or tears to the mouth. In addition, they keep the teeth from being broken or displaced from the socket in case of great impact to the face. They also prevent facial bone structure injuries, which can lead to deformities. There are some face injuries that connect to the neck. Wearing a mouth guard can prohibit this.

There are three common kinds of protection for the mouth. First is the boil and bite, which provides a better fit since it is created according to the mouth's shape. The second type is stock. It is pre-fabricated and ready for use. This is relatively cheap and can be found at sporting goods shops. The third kind is custom-fitted, one that your dentist makes especially for you.

Dental associations all over the world recommend that athletes should wear mouth guards. This is especially suggested for individuals engaging in dangerous sports like skiing, surfing, skydiving, snowboarding, gymnastics, and wrestling. Even during practice, boxers and football players are required to wear these mouth guards to ensure their protection.