We’re sure there is plenty of common ground to examine between dentistry and the end of the recent NFL labor lockout. Maybe with the price of gold continuing to climb, some players will be leaving the gold teeth in the locker room.
Or more likely, we don’t have any idea what we’re hoping to communicate but it’s got something to do with dentistry and sports. 
So where are we going with all of this dentistry and sports stretch at a conversation?
Straight to the teeth.
It is estimated by the American Dental Association that mouthguards prevent approximately 200,000 injuries each year in high school and collegiate football alone.
Sure, you may think this would warrant some mention or reach at a correlation involving dentistry and ice hockey, but we’ll leave that one for a more in-depth and timely investigation. Tune in later this year as we showcase the top dentists in sport!
For this mid-summer doldrums social dentistry blog post, we’ll stick to pure vanilla.
What’s the Most Important Piece of Safety Equipment?
We don’t know, nor are we pretending to communicate a final answer. But, what we do know is that mouthguards or mouthpieces are definitely among the most widely used and most important personal safety factors players use regardless of their particular sport.
Football players wear them, basketball players, softball players, soccer players, rugby players, even some ice hockey players have been known to wear a mouthguard from time to time.
So what’s the conclusion?
We’ve previously illustrated how dentistry and baseball have come together to help eliminate chewing tobacco at the ballpark, or just passed along certain surname similarities between a couple of dentists…and a couple of big league pitchers.
Oh, the conclusion about the mouthguards…
One conclusion we can make here is this; unless the mouthguard is in the mouth, it is of no use to anybody whatsoever. Parents, make sure your kids wear mouthguards this increasingly earlier back to school sports season.
Aside from safety, and staying out of emergency dental chair, some mouthguards have even claimed to increase athletic performance by improving the alignment of the jaw, allowing more oxygen to enter the airway during periods of physical exertion. It’s a whole neuromuscular thing that your dentist could surely explain way better than us.
The jury is still out on such claims; some say definitely, others not so much. Click the link for more info on sports dentistry and mouthguards.
If you have questions about what mouthguard is best for you or your children just ask your dentist – we dare you to post such a question to their Facebook wall!
Our trusted neighborhood dentists know a thing or two about properly fitting the mouthpiece according to individual dental factors.
Before you or your child suit up this season, be sure to check with your dentist first!
