A mouthguard, usually a flexible piece of plastic that fits into the mouth, should be worn during all recreational and athletic activities to protect the mouth and teeth from serious injury -- especially activities where there is contact or potential contact with another person, piece of equipment, or the ground. In particular, mouthguards should be worn during the following sports: - football
- soccer
- rugby
- wrestling
- baseball
- softball
- lacrosse
- field hockey
- ice hockey
- martial arts
- boxing
Some of these sports require the use of a mouthguard at the amateur level. Many recreational activities such as skateboarding and bicycling, also pose a risk of injuring the mouth and teeth. Exercise caution during these activities. Mouthguards and preventable injuries:
Injuries to the teeth, mouth, and head may include the following, many of which could be prevented with proper and consistent use of a mouthguard: - dislodged or knocked out tooth/teeth
- concussion
- cerebral hemorrhage
- broken or chipped tooth
- bitten or lacerated tongue and/or lip
- objects caught/lodged between the teeth
- jaw fracture
- neck injury
- jaw collision - the upper jaw gets jammed into the lower jaw
A Dental Emergency
According to the American Dental Association, the difference between saving or losing a knocked out tooth, is the thirty minutes following the incident. Get to the dentist immediately. To save the tooth, follow these steps: - Rinse the tooth in tap water.
- Avoid scrubbing the tooth.
- Insert the tooth into the empty socket quickly.
- If you are uncomfortable inserting the tooth, put the tooth in milk or water.
- Get to the dentist immediately.
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