Q&A: Mouth Guards Protect Young Athletes' Teeth

Q. My son gets routine preventive dental care. Is that enough to keep his teeth healthy?
A. If your child participates in individual or team sports, it is also important to protect him from trauma to the mouth. Many kids suffer oral or facial injuries when they are involved in biking or skateboarding accidents, or when they play basketball, baseball, football, and other team sports. The best way to treat trauma to the mouth is to prevent it from ever happening. You can do that by making sure your child wears an appropriately configured mouth guard every time he or she plays sports once the permanent teeth start coming in-usually by age 7 or 8.^{1, 2}

Q. Are mouth injuries really something to worry about?
A. Broken bones or strained muscles heal, but teeth don't. When kids lose, crack, or break teeth or damage the bone that holds them in place, they typically need extra dental care for the rest of their lives. Dentists can often use crowns, veneers, implants, and other procedures to repair broken or damaged teeth, but the teeth are never the way they were before the injury.⁵

Q. My daughter plays sports and has never been hit in the mouth. Is a mouth guard really necessary?
A. Yes. People may wonder if they really need to wear seat belts until they're in an accident and a seat belt saves their lives. It's the same thing with properly fitted mouth guards. You may not realize how important a custom mouth guard is until your daughter is hit in the mouth and her teeth remain intact.^{1, 4}

Q. Are all mouth guards equally effective?
A. Not necessarily. You can find inexpensive preformed and "boil-and-bite" mouth guards at sporting goods stores. Properly trimmed "boil and bite" devices offer solid protection. You can also ask your dentist for advice about where to obtain custom-made mouth guards for your child. These mouth guards typically cost a little more than those you would buy in a store. They may be more comfortable, fit better, and offer better protection.^{2, 3}

¹"Protecting Teeth with Mouth Guards." American Dental Association. http://www.ada.org/prof/resources/pubs/jada/patient/patient_69.pdf. Accessed 2009.

²"Mouth Guards: Frequently Asked Questions." American Dental Association. http://www.ada.org/public/topics/mouthguards_faq.asp. Accessed 2009.

³"Mouth Protectors." American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. http://www.aapd.org/publications/brochures/mouthpro.asp. Accessed 2009.

⁴"Dental Emergencies and Injuries." American Dental Association. http://www.ada.org/public/manage/emergencies.asp. Accessed 2009.

⁵"Preventive Dentistry." American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry.
http://www.aapd.org/publications/brochures/preventdent.asp. Accessed 2009.