From staying active to teaching the importance of teamwork, participating in sports can benefit your teen in numerous ways. Of course, there’s always the risk of an injury as well. In fact, roughly five million teeth are knocked-out each year in sports-related accidents – yikes! To help prevent an orthodontic emergency, keep reading to learn the key to protecting your teen’s braces during sports.
The Key to Protecting Your Teen’s Braces During Sports
The key to protecting your teen’s braces on the mat, field, or stage is having a custom mouthguard made. Although there are one-size-fits-all ones available online or at your local sporting goods store, they can be quite uncomfortable, which can result in your teen not wearing theirs consistently. Plus, generic mouthguards typically don’t have the necessary thickness to cover braces.
Fortunately, their orthodontist can have a mouthguard made that protects their teeth and gums in addition to their brackets and wires. That way, they can participate in their sport of choice to their heart’s desire without negatively impacting their orthodontic treatment in the process.
A Few Sports That Require a Mouthguard
It’s common for parents to think that mouthguards are only necessary for contact sports, like football, wrestling, and boxing. However, the American Dental Association also recommends wearing one while participating in non-contact sports, like surfing. You can always check their official website to see what preventive measures they recommend for the extracurricular activity your child is involved in. Or, you can talk to their dentist or orthodontist!
What to Do in an Orthodontic Emergency
Although orthodontic emergencies are relatively rare, they can happen. If your child isn’t wearing a mouthguard and accidentally falls or gets hit in the face with a rogue ball, then it’s likely that one of their brackets or wires will break. The best thing to do in this situation is to assess the damage. If they have broken their jaw, are having trouble breathing, or are experiencing any other potentially life-threatening symptoms, take them to the ER for medical attention. If the only damage was to their braces, on the other hand, then you should call their orthodontist right away.
About the Practice
At Simply Orthodontics Milford, we have two highly trained orthodontists as well as an exceptional support team. As a result, we can help with everything from routine consultations to last-minute orthodontic emergencies! If you want to learn more about how to prevent broken brackets and wires or you’d like to schedule an appointment to have a mouthguard made, get in touch with our team via our website or by phone at (508) 473-2002.