Central London dentist explains important benefits of wearing a mouth guard
If you play any kind of sport that involves physical contact on a regular basis you may be able to reap the safety rewards of wearing a mouth guard. You may not realise but playing any sport with a moving ball, speed or physical contact could be putting your teeth at serious risk and one of the best ways to protect them is with a mouth guard.
Nearly half of all the cases of knocked out, cracked or broken teeth occur as the result of sporting injuries. These injuries could for the most part have been prevented if the patient had been aware of the risks and protecting their teeth. Mouth guards work by cushioning the blow and also spreading the impact around so that one area does not suffer localised damage. Obviously mouth guards are worn in high-contact sports such as boxing and martial arts but they are also necessary for ball sports such as rugby, football and anything that involves high speed or fast moving, unpredictable objects.
You may think that wearing a mouth guard for a game of football is slightly over cautious but consider the alternative; a ball or an accidental elbow in the mouth and three teeth are knocked out. As well as the considerable pain of the trauma, the teeth will then need to be replaced with costly dental restorations such as dental implants or bridges. Each one of these can cost several thousand pounds and will need to be replaced several times over the course of a lifetime. Each of these treatments will last several hours and involve some pain and discomfort. Eating will always be a worry because you don’t want to break your new dental work. Does this sound better than wearing a mouth guard for ninety minutes now and then? Thought not. See your Central London dentist to have a mouth guard fitted.
