Why Should Some Competitive Athletes Use Mouth Guards?

Athletes young and old who participate in contact sports should always use a mouth guard to protect the teeth and jaws from injury (looseness, partial avulsion, or total avulsion of the teeth). Mouth guards  help to mitigate the impacts of blows and cut down on force concussions to the brain when there is a blow received to the lower jaw in an upward direction. So, mouth guards aren’t effective in protecting against lateral blows. Orofacial injuries are the most common injuries sustained in sports. The American Dental Association estimates that 200,000 injuries are prevented a year in just high school and college football alone because of mouth guard use. Protektmouthguards.com states that 5 million teeth are knocked out each year during sports-related activities.

It is wise to use a mouth guard when engaging in battle sports like Judo (my favorite), Karate, Tae Kwon Do, wrestling, boxing, rugby, of course football, mixed martial art fighting, basketball, and chess (just kidding!).

Sportsdentistry.com relates that there are at least four different types of mouth guards available: stock, boil-and-bite, custom-made vacuum and custom-made pressure laminate. They state that the custom-made pressure laminate mouth guards are the best: the least bulky, best fitting, most flexible, and they allow the user to talk, drink and breathe without impediment. It is recommended that the guard have a thickness of about is 3-4 mm of material between the upper and lower teeth for optimum cushioning. 90% of all mouth guards sold are the less expensive stock and boil-and-bite versions. Some mouth guards fit over the upper teeth only, the lower teeth only, or over both the upper and lower teeth. Mouth guards also provide shock absorption to lessen the chance of teeth cracking or breaking. Fractures of the mandibular condyles can be prevented or greatly reduced when guards are used and if the impact forces aren't too great. The  U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 300,000 people suffer from sports-related concussions every year, with children and teens at the highest risk.

Pure Power Mouthguards are said to potentiate an athlete’s performance by maintaining both jaws in an optimum position. Several hours are needed to get the exact relationship correct and they cost over $1,000.

May you have many…passionately protected…smiles!