Does your child actively participate in sports at school? That’s great! Along with academic activity, every child needs to be involved in sports to keep them healthy, strong, and fit. While they go out on the field and have fun, it is up to parents to ensure their child’s safety.
Children can easily get injured while playing. While they usually get wounded on the knees or elbows, their face and mouth can be the most vulnerable areas where they can get hurt. It is said that children sustain more than 50% of all the sports-related injuries according to the stats provided by the United States Centre for Disease Control and Prevention. The least parents could do for their child is getting a mouthguard to help significantly reduce the severity of injuries to the teeth, gums, and other soft tissues of the mouth.
Is the mouthguard necessary?
Of course! Parents ensure to buy their children protective gear such as helmets, gloves, knee caps, abdomen guards, etc. But, a mouthguard, which is one of the essential protective equipment, is usually ignored. A mouthguard helps to distribute the force taken by a hard blow equally among the teeth. This keeps a few teeth from taking the entire effect of external trauma, which could have resulted in cracked or chipped teeth. In fact, sportspersons are 60 times more likely to sustain oral injury without a mouthguard than they could with one (according to the National Youth Sports Safety Foundation).
How do I choose the right sports mouthguard?
A sports mouthguard is perhaps the smallest investment that you can make, which can help your child a great deal and keep them from going through a lot of pain. Choosing the right mouthguard can be tricky, considering all the options. Here’s how you can select the most appropriate one:
Stock mouthguard: This type of mouthguard is a standard-sized one that can be bought off the counter. It does its job of protecting the teeth alright but is usually ill-fitting. It may tend to slip out of the mouth quite often when your child is playing. Also, using it for a long time can bring about malocclusion.
Boil and bite mouthguard: Boil and bite mouthguards are made from a special type of plastic that softens on initial heating. Your child can bite into it while it is soft, after which it hardens upon cooling. Its contour is better than that of a stock mouthguard but still doesn’t offer a perfect fit.
Customized mouthguard: All professional athletes use customized mouthguards. We recommend you get your child a custom-fabricated mouthguard as it offers perfect fit and safety. You can visit our dental practice and bring your child along. We will digitally scan the teeth and use the data to fabricate the mouthguard. It will be made from dental-grade plastic material that is biocompatible and lasts for a long time.
Reach out to us, and we will guide you further with getting a customized sports guard for your child.