Mouthguards and Dental Emergencies

The importance of mouthguards:

A mouthguard, usually a flexible piece of plastic that fits into the mouth, should be worn during all recreational and athletic activities to protect the mouth and teeth from serious injury - especially activities where there is contact or potential contact with another person, piece of equipment, or the ground. In particular, mouthguards should be worn during the following sports:

• football
• soccer
• rugby
• wrestling
• baseball
• softball
• lacrosse
• field hockey
• ice hockey
• martial arts
• boxing

Some of these sports require the use of a mouthguard at the amateur level.

Many recreational activities such as skateboarding and bicycling, also pose a risk of injuring the mouth and teeth. Exercise caution during these activities.

Mouthguards and preventable injuries:

Injuries to the teeth, mouth, and head may include the following, many of which could be prevented with proper and consistent use of a mouthguard:

• dislodged or knocked out tooth/teeth
• concussion
• cerebral hemorrhage
• broken or chipped tooth
• bitten or lacerated tongue and/or lip
• objects caught/lodged between the teeth
• jaw fracture

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