Organized sports are a wonderful outlet for your teen. They encourage them to exercise, build relationships with team members, and teach them to work hard to accomplish something. However, some sports are more dangerous to your child’s dental health than others. If your teen plays any of these sports, speak with your dentist to learn how to protect your child’s teeth.

How Can Sports Affect Your Child’s Dental Health?

1. Football

Football is a contact sport that can cause a lot of injuries. It’s for this reason that players are required to wear padding, helmets, and mouthguards. Tackling other players and getting tackled means your child will get bumped a lot, and that high-speed contact can cause concussions and knock teeth out, which is where a mouthguard can help.

2. Basketball

Basketball isn’t considered a contact sport, but it does have high rates of dental injuries. This is because there is the danger of errant elbows or flying balls to the face. Guarding an opponent requires getting close while moving fast, which can cause accidental collisions. Wearing a mouthguard can limit the amount of damage that occurs.

3. Baseball & Softball

Baseball and softball are both sports that have balls flying at high speeds. Despite softballs being slightly softer, they are still hard and can hit your teen in the face. Diving for a base or getting hit by an errant ball could also cause an injury to the mouth or jaw, which is why a helmet that covers most of the head is required when batting.

4. Hockey

According to a study conducted into ice hockey dental injuries, the most common cause of accidents seen by dentists was a blow from the stick. This is more likely to occur during games than practice, and only 10% of the injured players were wearing a protective guard. Ensuring your child wears a mouthguard and helmet, preferably with a face mask or visor, will help prevent potential injuries.

The best way to protect your teen in all of these sports is to have a custom-fitted mouthguard created for them. These significantly reduce the chance of injury by securing teeth in place and providing a protective barrier. The dentist at Dental Clinic of Onalaska creates high-quality, custom guards to patients in La Crosse County, WI. Visit the family dentist online to learn more about his services, from teeth cleaning to cavity treatment, or call (608) 783-3341 to schedule an appointment.