Some of the most common sporting injures involve some kind of dental trauma. Chipped, cracked or knocked out teeth are common in physically demanding sports such as football or rugby, and other ball sports like cricket. If you have ever been unfortunate enough to receive a dental injury playing sports you’ll know just how painful they can be. Chances are you’ll also know that the pain doesn’t end there. Dental injuries are often not simply curable and may require a succession of follow up treatments that can last for months or even years after the incident. These can involve further pain and complications not to mention putting a great big hole in your wallet.

While most dental injuries are eventually treatable, they often involve the use of a dental substitute such as a crown, veneer or artificial tooth. Recent advances in technology mean these treatments have come a long way and can now be very accurate and realistic. However, they will still need monitoring and replacing throughout your life as the average lifespan of any artificial dental substitute is under ten years. The only real solution to dental injury during sport is prevention. By wearing a mouth guard you could realistically save yourself a lifetime of dental trouble for only a few pounds.

It is possible to buy mouth guards from most sporting goods shops, but most dentists recommend you have one personally fitted. This is because an ill-fitting mouth guard can offer far less protection than a professionally fitted one. Well-placed padding and protection has no real substitute.

Wearing a mouth guard may not be the most comfortable thing in the world and you certainly aren’t going to win any style awards, but then try looking stylish with two front teeth missing. Wearing a partial denture in your mid-twenties is not a look you want to go for. It also makes good financial sense to shell out a few pounds on a mouth guard and save thousands on dental treatment. A City of London dentist will be able to fit a mouth guard in only a few minutes at your next check up and you can keep your teeth safe when playing sport.

Chipped, cracked or broken teeth can be the source of considerable pain and also result in further dental complications in the future. Therefore it is necessary to repair any damage caused to teeth as soon as possible. One of the most affordable and effective treatments for dental injuries is cosmetic bonding. The bonding process involves mixing up a resin to closely match the colour of the existing teeth and sculpting it to the desired shape. Once satisfied the dentist will then set the resin hard using the intense heat of a laser. Once set, the bonding is extremely durable and also resistant to staining.

Cosmetic bonding is not just used to repair damage caused by head trauma. It is also widely used to improve the appearance of worn, discoloured or unevenly spaced teeth. Unlike veneers and crowns it does not require laboratory conditions for manufacture, which significantly reduces cost and treatment times. In fact, most bonding procedures can be carried out in only one visit to the dentist. Although, if the treatment covers two or more teeth the bonding may need several layers applied and will need time to set in between applications.

Cosmetic bonding is almost completely pain-free unless being applied to a particularly sensitive area of the teeth. In some circumstances the dentist may consider using a local anaesthetic but this is unusual.

Cosmetic bonding is also replacing silver amalgam as the number one choice for filling dental cavities. Not only does it have the advantage of being tooth-coloured and therefore more aesthetically pleasing, but it also avoids the controversy surrounding the inclusion of potentially poisonous mercury in filling material.

Versatile, durable and visually discreet, cosmetic bonding is one of the most popular treatment choices for both dentists and patients. With the combined benefits of low cost and simple treatment, cosmetic bonding may be able to radically improve the integrity and appearance of your teeth with the minimum of discomfort. Talk to a City of London dentist about cosmetic bonding and how it could benefit your teeth.