If you’re an athlete and not using a proper athletic mouth guard, you’re potentially putting your teeth at risk for chipping, cracking or getting knocked out. Hoek Esthetic Family Dentistry is able to fit you for a customized athletic mouthguard that will help to prevent these types of accidents from occurring.
Studies have shown that without the protection of an athletic mouthguard, you are 60 times more likely to sustain a dental injury while participating in organized sports. According to the American Dental Association, 10-20% of all sports related injuries are maxillofacial injuries.Many schools require athletes to use mouthguards due to such high statistics. A few ways athletes can be injured are:
-injury to your mouth’s soft tissues from a hard impact
-breaking, cracking, chipping, or losing a tooth from forceful impact to your mouth
-tripping and landing on hard surfaces like a basketball court
Unfortunately, sports related injuries are common and unpredictable. By using a custom-fit mouthguard, athletes are taking steps to protecting their teeth from accidents and injury.
Our mouthguards are made by a professional dental laboratory out of durable, odorless/tasteless and easy to clean material. At your first visit, a high quality impression will be taken of the upper teeth and sent off to the lab for processing. At the second visit, the mouthguard would be delivered to you and it’s fit verified by Dr. Hoek to ensure that it will stay firmly in place during action. For optimal results you will want to avoid chewing your mouthguard while in use. Likewise, keep your mouth guard in a well ventilated, plastic storage box when not in use. For continued success, bring it to your dental visits so that we can ensure a proper fit and to clean it in the ultrasonic.
There are options for buying mouth guards at local convenience stores, they may be cheap, but the protection is far from ideal. Store bought mouthguards cannot provide the level of protection that a custom-fit mouthguard can provide. They also do not usually fit properly and can be uncomfortable to the athlete. If a mouthguard does not fit, there could be chances of it slipping or shifting, which could become an issue while playing sports. Like all other protective wear, a mouthguard should be fitted appropriately. Also, breathing and speaking can be impaired when using a store bought mouthguard due to improper fit.
Buying the inexpensive guards found in stores might save you money in the short term, but that decision could come back to hurt you via the need for dental work later. Restorative dentistry can be pretty costly, depending on the extent of the damage to your teeth. It’s definitely more expensive than a professionally made mouthguard!That’s a financial risk you shouldn’t have to take, especially when you can find affordable, safe, customized mouthguards for people of all ages at Hoek Esthetic Family Dentistry.
Don’t wait until a dental injury happens to an athlete in your family. Protect their teeth, smile, and health with a custom-fit athletic mouthguard.