The American Association of Orthodontics, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, Academy for Pediatric Dentistry and the Academy for Sports Dentistry teamed up this month to bring awareness and get athletes, parents and coaches alike involved and informed about the benefits of protective head and mouth equipment (mouthguards) in organized sports.
April is National Facial Protection Month, and Dr. Krista Lee and Dr. Anthony Antoniazzi of Kids Dental wants to remind parents, coaches and athletes to play it safe as they prepare to suit up for recreational and organized sports. A child’s mouth and face can be easily injured if the proper precautions are not used while playing sports.
There is a great potential for serious injuries in day to day activities, from bike riding to the park to a neighborhood game of hockey or basketball. Children today, who do not wear mouthguards or protective head gear, are usually a result of uninformed parents; most adults don’t understand the importance of this protective equipment. Typically adults think sports like football and hockey are the only sports in which their children should be wearing mouthguards, when in fact that is not the case.
Mouthguards and protective head gear should be worn in any ‘contact sport’; contact sports however, are not limited to those in which one player knocks into another. Contact sports encompass any sport in which the players/individual is likely to have his or her face come into contact with any hard object, including pavement for example. Children involved in soccer, BMX riding, karate or any extreme sport should be wearing protective head and mouth gear.
Last year the National Youth Sports Safety Foundation estimated that more than 3 million teeth would be knocked out in youth sporting events. These type of accidents can be prevented with the use of a mouthguard.
Let us create and protect your smile!
Contact our office to get fit for your FREE custom fit mouthguard this May!