Sports Mouth Guards: Protect Your Athlete

AACD SuperFact: Athletes are 60 times more likely to damage their teeth when not wearing a mouth guard during athletic activities. More than 5 million teeth are “knocked out” in sporting activities each year. While this statistic is astonishing, the American Dental Association estimates that more than 200,000 oral injuries are prevented every year thanks to the use of sports mouth guards.

The mouthguard I prefer to use in my practice is called the PlaySafe sports mouthguard. Customized to fit your mouth, statistics show that when worn properly, a protective mouthguard decreases the risk of injury by 99 percent. When worn properly, a mouthguard can prevent dental trauma such as fractured teeth or concussions.

While many sporting goods stores sell mouthguards, these versions are not as effective as the PlaySafe sports mouthpiece offered at Zimmerman Dental Care. This is because store-bought boil-and-bite mouthguards cannot be altered and require you to keep your mouth clenched for maximum protection. PlaySafe, however, is made using an exact duplication of your mouth and will stay in place with no effort. This allows the athlete to put their attention where it belong: on the game!

I personally use a PlaySafe mouthguard when I play basketball and highly recommend them for my patients.