A recent study revealed that on average there are 22,000 dental injuries in children under the age of 18. This alarming reality makes it clear that parents, caregivers, and coaches need to understand the risks for dental injuries so that they are best equipped to prevent them...or at least be prepared to manage one should it occur. The four most common categories for measuring risks associated with sports injuries are:

• Age: Age is an important factor when accessing risk. Sports-related dental injuries tend to spike during the teenage years. Recent research shows that children under the age of 13 tend to not be injured as often.
• Gender: Gender is probably the second most influential factor. The facts are that males top the list for experiencing dental injuries during sports or vigorous activities. However, more and more females are playing highly competitive and contact sports or activities; thus, their risk of injury is increasing.
• Shape and position of your teeth: Both the condition and positions of the teeth affect their risk of injury. More prominent or “buck” teeth are considered a higher risk for injury than teeth in a more normal position. Furthermore, 80% of all dental injuries involve the upper front teeth.
• Sports type: This last category is the one most often asked about, as parents, caregivers and athletes want to know which sports or activities have the highest risks for dental injuries. And while baseball and basketball top the list, the American Dental Association (ADA) has put together a comprehensive list of sports and activities. To review this list, read the Dear Doctor article, “Athletic Mouthguards.” The ADA also urges athletes to wear professionally-fitted mouthguards to protect against dental and facial injuries.

Knowing the above categories can help you assess your risk for a dental injury while playing in a sport or recreational activity. To learn more about sports-related dental injuries, read, “An Introduction To Sports Injuries & Dentistry.” Or if you have a traumatized, damaged, chipped or missing tooth from a sports or any other type of injury, contact us to discuss your situation or to schedule an appointment.

Your son just crashed his skateboard and cracked a tooth, or maybe your daughter fell off the monkey bars at school and now has a chipped front tooth. For children, and some adults, repairing chipped or damaged teeth with tooth-colored restorative materials directly bonded to the teeth may be the perfect solution to restore their smiles.

What is Involved: Composite bonding is a technique that has been developed to correct chipped teeth and other minor dental imperfections. It may also be used to correct mild crookedness or gaps between teeth. The procedure requires the application of a tooth-colored composite resin material to the surfaces of teeth, which is then sculpted to the desired shape. It can be performed in a single visit for one or multiple teeth. The procedure usually takes between one and two hours, and the end result is a beautiful, natural-looking smile.

Advantages for Kids and Adults: Composite resin bonding is a good choice for kids and teens since their jaws are still growing and developing, and they may still be engaged in high-risk activities. After your child's teeth and jaws are fully developed, we can discuss options for more permanent restorations such as porcelain veneers or crowns. These require removal of more tooth structure, which could compromise the long-term health of your child's teeth if done too soon. Composite resin restorations, which bond straight to the teeth and require little to no tooth preparation or drilling are therefore a good option for fixing chipped teeth, and they're less expensive than choosing veneers.

Disadvantages: The longevity of composite resin restorations is related to how well you maintain your teeth. Many people can go for ten or fifteen years before they need to have the bonded resins repaired or replaced. Others will tend to stain and wear after only one or two years and will need some touch-up work.

Contact us today to schedule an appointment to discuss any questions you may have regarding dental bonding. Read more about this topic in the Dear Doctor magazine article “Repairing Chipped Teeth.”

When involved in high impact sports or vigorous activities, it is important to protect your mouth and teeth. This statement is backed by the fact that there are over 600,000 sports-related dental injuries treated in emergency rooms across the US each year according to the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

In addition to absorbing and distributing the forces that impact the mouth, teeth, face and jaws an athlete receives while participating in sports such as baseball, football, basketball, hockey (ice and field), skateboarding and wrestling, the American Dental Association (ADA), also recommends the use of custom mouthguards for other activities such as acrobatics, bicycling, handball, racquetball, skiing, and even weightlifting.

These facts make two things clear: (1) it is vital that you obtain a professionally made mouthguard that you wear during these types of activities and (2) that you also understand how this mouthguard protects you. Below are just a few ways.

1. Lacerations. A custom-fit, professionally made mouthguard covers the sharp surfaces of the teeth to protect the soft tissues of the cheeks, lips, gums and tongue from lacerations that can occur from a blow or sudden jolt.
2. Mouth Impact. Just as a mouthguard protects against soft tissue lacerations, it can also help prevent injuries to the jaws and teeth. This includes but is not limited to chipped teeth, fractured teeth, broken teeth and teeth that are partially or fully knocked out of their natural position.
3. TMJ (jaw joint) Trauma. Wearing a properly fitted mouthguard can reduce the potential for jaw displacement and joint fractures by cushioning the jaws against damage from an impact.
4. Direct Jaw Impact. Anytime a person receives a direct impact to his/her jaw, having a mouthguard in place may help prevent more serious injuries to teeth and jaws. This is especially important for anyone diagnosed with TMJ.
5. Jaw Fracture. A custom-fit, professionally made mouthguard both absorbs and distributes impact forces so that jaws are protected. And it is this reduction in force that can help prevent the jaws from fractures.
6. Under Chin Impact. Receiving a blow under the chin can obviously damage teeth; however, it can also cause damage to the jaws as well as inflame or cause TMJ issues.

You can learn more about mouthguards by continuing to read the Dear Doctor magazine article “Athletic Mouthguards.” Or you can contact us today to schedule an appointment.