Athletes, both young and old, have been participating in sports for generations.

Some sports involve contact (football, lacrosse, hockey). Others do not (soccer, baseball, basketball). But we all know that these “non-contact” sports have moments when there is contact.

The National Youth Sports Foundation estimates that 5 million! teeth will be knocked out this year during sports related events. That number seems extraordinarily high, even incomprehensible, but we see numerous traumatic dental events in our dental office that are sports related. We’ve even seen fractured teeth from kids playing with their dog on the kitchen floor.

Kids wear mouthguards (or sportsguards) when they are mandated, but they are often of the over-the-counter variety. As a youth lacrosse coach, I see these disposable appliances all over the fields, because kids just aren’t wearing them. They are ill-fitting and end up as chew toys dangling from the athlete’s mouth.

Our office recommends custom fitted sports mouthguards manufactured by a dental laboratory. They are more expensive than OTC options, but the cost to repair or replace a tooth is significantly higher than a well fitting appliance. Properly cared for, they can last indefinitely if the child’s teeth are mostly erupted and properly aligned.

Mouthguards also minimize the effects of head injuries in sports as well. But that is another topic altogether.

Please call Dr. Arakelian at 978.373.0901 or visit KarlArakelianDMD.com for more information.