Think of all the steps you take to keep your family safe. Car seats, boosters and seatbelts for everyone in the car? Check. A working smoke detector in every room of your house? Check. Vaccinations up-to-date? Check. Mouthguards for all of the sports enthusiasts in your family? Uh-oh. A mouthguard is critical to protecting your teeth, gums, lips and tongues during any kind of athletic activity, including both contact and non-contact sports. Dr. Doug Clark, Jr. or Dr. Doug Clark III, the dentists at Hill Avenue Dental in Superior, WI, can fabricate a customize sports mouthguard for you and all of the members of your family who are actively involved in athletics.
Sports injuries are responsible for more than five million lost teeth every year, and the American Dental Association states that one-third of all dental injuries are sports related. Wearing a mouthguard, however, can prevent more than 200,000 mouth injuries every year. Besides a knocked out tooth, other types of dental injuries that may occur as a result of not using a mouthguard include:
- Chipped or broken teeth
- Fractured crowns or bridgework
- Cheek and lip injuries
- Root damage to your teeth
- Fractured jaws
In addition to these oral injuries, mouthguards may also reduce the risk and severity of a concussion that can happen as a result of a hard blow to the head, face or jaw. A study of high school athletes showed that 56 percent of all concussions were suffered when mouthguards were not worn. But when you wear a mouthguard, you’re wearing a shock absorber between your upper and lower jaw to help prevent concussions as well as neck injuries, too.
Mouthguards Superior Can Count on for a Psychological Edge
When you’re playing to win, you want every psychological advantage you can get. Research shows that if you’re wearing proper protection, including a custom mouthguard, then you play more confidently and aggressively. Furthermore, wearing a mouthguard offers a tremendous economic advantage: replacing a tooth lost because of a sports injury can cost 20 times more than the cost of a custom-fitted mouthguard.
Call Our Office Today
If you or anyone in your family needs a customized mouthguard before heading out to play, practice or compete, then call Hill Avenue Dental. We serve patients in Superior, WI, as well as from Duluth, Douglas County, Northern Wisconsin and Northeastern Minnesota.
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