Using Mouthpieces to Deflect Pressures and Force during Rough Sports
Sport mouth guards, or more commonly known as athletic mouthpieces, are worn by various athletes engaging in rough contact sports. This oral plastic material mainly protects the soft and hard tissues of both the face and mouth from traumatic blows or collisions. The value of putting these mouthpieces on cannot be underestimated since as much as a third of dental problems come from sports injuries.
Studies for Orofacial Injuries among Athletes
There are reasons why mouthpieces are a hot item for athletes to use. For one, an athlete is 60 times more likely to sustain teeth damage when they do not put mouth guards on. Moreover, tooth replacement and re-attachment can be costly especially when maintenance is concerned. Tooth replacement can cost up to $5,000 to $20,000 per tooth depending on the damage severity.
Additionally, athletes increase their risk of having tooth loss of about 10% when they do not use mouthpieces. The percentage further increases throughout the athletes' career. Additionally, US hospitals treat thousands of athletes per year for teeth dislocation and loss. Replacing a severely dislocated tooth can cost 20 times higher than purchasing a customized mouthpiece. As the saying goes, prevention is better than cure.
Functions and Benefits of Using Mouth Guards
Although mouthpieces can vary in design, composition and manufacturing process; they nevertheless protect the soft (gums, lips, cheek and tongue) and hard tissues (jaw and tooth) of the face. A dentist in Indianapolis Indiana offer custom fit mouthpieces by measuring the bite of a person. These mouthpieces can be picked up in the dental office or delivered to the patient's home.
Of course the most common benefit and function of a mouthpiece offered by dentists in Indianapolis is prevention of tooth fracture and dislocation. Physical blows or getting hit by a ball are some examples of trauma that mouthpieces absorb. Mouthpieces cushion the impact of the blow by spreading it in the entire mouth surface. Additionally, the resilience feature of mouthpieces prevents the forceful dislocation of jaws.
Mouth guards also prevent laceration and bruising from happening. Since teeth are sharp objects, rubbing against them can cause inflammations and painful scratches. Mouthpieces serve as buffers to minimize abrasion between soft and hard tissues. Dentists in Indianapolis can help athletes find the perfect fit for mouthpieces even if the patient is wearing braces.
Mouthpieces offered by dentist Indianapolis Indiana residents prefer also provide psychological benefits. When athletes have mouthpieces, it makes them more confident during the game knowing that they have protection. Mouth guards also save athletes from a lot of social embarrassment when they know that they have a good set of teeth.
Author (edmundfalkner). Submitted on Sat, 4 Feb 2012
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