Did you know that more than FIVE MILLION teeth are lost each year due to sports injuries? That is a lot of teeth that could have just stayed put! Luckily, there is a solution! Mouthguards, also called sportsguards, are a type of guard that protects not only the user's teeth, but also can protect from concussions and cuts and bruises to the lips and soft tissues of the mouth.
Facts from the National Youth Sports Foundation for Safety
1. An athlete is 60 times more likely to sustain damage to the teeth when not wearing a protective mouthguard. Mouthguards and faceguards prevent an estimated 200,000 high school and college football injuries.
2. The cost of replanting a tooth and follow-up dental treatment is estimated to be approximately $5,000. Individ-uals who experience an avulsed tooth that is not properly preserved or replanted may face lifetime dental costs of $15,000 to $20,000 per tooth.
3. Each athlete involved in a contact sport has about a 10% chance per season of an orofacial injury, or a 35% to 56% chance during his or her athletic career. Approximately one third of all dental injuries are sports related.
4. Every year hospitals in the United States see thousands of cases of lost or damaged teeth as a result of sports injuries. Treating these injuries can cost thousands, even tens of thousands of dollars per individual.6
5. The total cost to replace an avulsed tooth (complete displacement of the tooth out of its socket) can be 20 times more than the cost of a custom-fabricated mouthguard.13
Also, not all mouthguards are created equal, so make sure you get a custom-made guard, and not one over the counter, as a poorly fitted guard can also cause trauma to the teeth, instead of protecting them. Call us today to make an appointment for you or your child.
