Sponsored annually by the American Association of Orthodontists, Facial Protection Month brings awareness to the importance of wearing mouth guards during recreational and organized sports. We want all of our patients to “play it safe” and wear a mouth guard at every practice and game in which your teeth might be in danger of getting hurt. Mouth guards offer protection by absorbing high-impact energy from traumatic blows, about 80% of which occur to the front two teeth.
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Baseball, soccer, basketball and football account for about 80% of all sports-related emergency room visits for children between the ages of 5-14 (per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). Yet, 67% of parents say their child doesn’t wear a mouth guard even though their biggest fear is that the child will get hurt playing sports. Coaches can make a huge difference by promoting mouth guard use during both practice and competition.
Remember, hard hits occur no matter the sport. Feel free to talk with Dr. Caudill and Dr. McNeight about what type of mouth guard would be best for you or your child!
