Dental Sports Injuries

Wham! Your jaw just made contact with your teammates' elbow and you weren't wearing a sportsguard. A tooth feels a little loose, but it doesn't seem serious. After all, in a couple of days the tooth tightens up and seems to be fine. Or is it? If a tooth is loosened enough, the vessels that supply blood to the tooth may be severed. When the supply of blood is disrupted the tooth soon discolors, usually within a few days, indicating that the tooth is dying. Once a tooth starts to die you may eventually lose the tooth, or living with it permanently discolored.

If you somehow have a tooth loosened, contact your dentist as soon as possible to see if emergency care is necessary. The sooner a dentist can examine and determine the extent of the damage, the better your chances of saving the tooth. Even if the tooth does not fall out and "firms up" in a couple of days, irreparable damage may have occurred. Left untreated, the tooth may discolor and fall out at a later date.

To determine the extent of the damage, your dentist may need to do a full examination including taking x-rays of the mouth. Even if the tooth has begun to discolor, there is a chance that the tooth can still be stabilized and saved. If the tooth is savable, discoloration may be lessened with bleaching.

If the tooth cannot be saved, three common courses of treatment are available. The first, Stayplate, is a retainer-like device similar to what children and adults wear after having braces removed. An artificial tooth is attached to the plastic and wire retainer to replace the lost tooth. The retainer is usually hidden and the artificial tooth indistinguishable from your natural teeth. Like dentures, the Stayplate is removed and cleaned every evening.

Another solution is to create a bridge by attaching an artificial tooth to the healthy teeth on either side. The artificial tooth is anchored to the neighboring teeth making a permanent bond.

The most permanent solution is to have an implant. A titanium post is inserted into the jaw where the damaged tooth used to reside. The jaw is then allowed to heal over the next six to twelve months. Once the jaw is fully healed, an artificial tooth is attached to the post resulting in a permanent replacement tooth.

Of the solutions available, the Stayplate is the least costly. However, another solution may fit better with the injury suffered and your lifestyle. So remember, if you have a tooth loosened, call your dentist at once. The sooner you have a loosened tooth examined, the better your chances of saving the tooth, and your smile.

Sports Guards
Teenagers and even adults who are active in sports wear custom fabricated mouthguards, also known as Sportsguards. The National Youth Sports Foundation estimates that in this year alone more than 5 million teeth will be knocked out in sporting activities. The estimated cost for lifetime rehabilitation of a sport-related dental injury can be close to several thousand dollars per tooth. This means that the cost to replace a single knocked-out tooth may be more than twenty times the cost of a custom-laminated, professional-grade mouthguard.

Why a custom mouthguard over a stock mouthguard?
Many sports shops sell stock "boil and bite" mouthguards to be worn during athletic activities. Unfortunately these are far from ideal: they usually do not fit accurately, are uncomfortable to wear while active, and often interfere with breathing and speaking abilities while participating in active sports. Without an accurate fit, unnecessary pressure can be placed on certain teeth, fail to guard against injury by being too loose, or slip in the mouth. Additionally, if a mouthguard is ill fitting and uncomfortable, the wearer is far less likely to wear the mouthguard resulting in a waste of time or money. However, even if the wearer does wear the stock mouthguard, they may be given a false sense of security by believing that the stock mouthguard is protecting their teeth as well as a custom mouthguard. Of course, neither the stock mouthguards nor custom sportsguards should be confused with the occlusal mouthguards, also known as nightguards, which many patients wear at night. While they appear similar, they are designed for a different purpose and do not provide the protection a custom sportsguard provides. (See Teeth Grinding).

Our office has been making custom mouthguards for years. Currently we use "Play-safe"; an affordable professional-grade mouthguard base designed specifically to be worn while playing sports. The mouthguards come in 4 different styles, each designed for specific type of sport including football, volleyball, mountain biking, roller blading, martial arts, basketball, soccer, and even skateboarding. They come in a wide range of colors as well as multicolored blends for those who want a little style when they smile. Each mouthguard is custom fitted to the wearer and their sport activity to insure an accurate, comfortable, and safe fit. For more information simply give our office a call.