If Your Child Plays Sports, Here's What You Need To Know About Preventing Dental Injury And Lost Teeth
It's fairly common for children to lose teeth during sports due to trauma, especially between the ages of seven and twelve; this is the period of time in your child's life when the adult teeth have come through but the periodontal ligament attaching the root to the jawbone is still weak. If your child plays sports, here are some good steps that you can take to prevent permanent tooth loss as a result of traumatic dental injury.
Mouthguards Are The Best Prevention
The most effective way to prevent dental injury when your child is playing sports is to have your child wear a mouthguard, no matter what sport your child is playing. Unfortunately, the use of mouthguards is only common in football and hockey, while they should ideally be used in all sports. Basketball, in particular, is a common source of dental injuries in children. Talk to your child about the importance of wearing a mouthguard at all time during sports and watch your child during games to make sure he or she is not removing the mouthguard. You may also want to talk to your child's coach to see if you can make wearing mouthguards mandatory for the team; it's easier to get a child to wear his or her mouthguard if the rest of the children are wearing them as well.
Custom Mouthguards Are Safer And More Comfortable
Of course, most children do not like to wear mouthguards. They are uncomfortable and can interfere with breathing, which can affect your child's performance during the game. If your child complains about the comfort of a stock mouthguard (that is not shaped to your child's mouth) and does not wish to wear a mouthguard, it's important to look into custom alternatives so that your child won't feel the need to remove it during sports.
Your family dentist can provide you with a custom-fit mouthguard, but this is not ideal for children since they will quickly outgrow it. Mouth-formed guards (sometimes called "boil and bite" mouthguards) are an inexpensive alternative. They are placed in boiling water to soften the material, and then your child bites down on the mouthguard in order to shape the guard to his or her mouth. These are more comfortable than traditional stock mouthguards that are not customized to your child's mouth and provide better protection as well.
Carry A Good Medium For Storing Lost Teeth During Sporting Events
When your child loses a tooth during sports, the number one priority is to schedule an emergency appointment with your dentist and to find an appropriate solution to place the tooth in until it can be reattached. Teeth that are reattached within an hour have the best chance of repairing themselves, so time is of the essence when you are dealing with a lost tooth. The ideal solution for storing a lost tooth until it can be reattached is a patented blend called Hank's Balanced Salt Solution; it's a good idea to have some with you when you are at your child's sporting events, whether it is your child or another parent's that has lost a tooth. This solution can keep the cells in a lost tooth healthy for up to a day (although you should still schedule an emergency appointment) compared to cold whole milk, the next-best solution, which can keep a tooth healthy for three hours.
You should schedule an appointment with a family dentist right away if your child sustains a dental injury during sports, even if your child did not lose or chip a tooth. Signs of a dental injury include swelling and bleeding of the gums or a toothache; some problems, such as dental concussions and intrusions, are difficult to see with the naked eye and will require a dental x-ray for diagnosis.
