Top 3 Reasons You Should Wear a Mouthguard

With summer in full swing, many of our patients here in Laval will be spending more time enjoying outdoor activities. Unfortunately, this means that more accidents are bound to happen. According to Kaiser Permanente, this spike in outdoor activities typically leads to a 15% to 27% increase in ER visits.

Dental trauma and other facial injuries are particularly dangerous because these types of injuries affect the appearance and function of your smile.

Types of Dental Trauma

Injuries related to dental health are pretty common with approximately 5 million Americans experiencing tooth loss due to sports injuries. Common dental injuries fall into three main categories:

Cracked Teeth: A fractured or cracked tooth is usually the result of an abrupt blow to the face. The crack will begin at the crown of the tooth and extend down. Symptoms of a cracked tooth include sharp pain, pain while eating or drinking, or losing sections of the tooth enamel.

Fractured Tooth Roots: Extreme force at a particular angle can end up causing a fractured tooth rather than damage to the crown of the tooth. Since this type of fracture isn’t always visible, individuals might not notice the damage until an infection develops.

Tooth Intrusion: If a tooth isn’t completely knocked out or cracked, it will often be displaced and driven back into the jawbone. This type of dental injury is more common among children because the alveolar bones of a child are not hardened to hold the tooth sockets as firmly as a fully developed adult.

Protect Your Smile — Wear a Mouthguard!

Wearing a mouthguard during outdoor activities is an easy way to avoid the dangers of dental trauma. Some of the top reasons to wear your mouthguard include:

1. Avoid Pain: Suffering from dental trauma can be quite a painful experience. Wearing a mouthguard ensures that your teeth are protected and won’t be cracked, knocked out, or displaced.
2. Avoid Dental Expenses: Luckily, there are plenty of dental treatments available to repair a damaged tooth or to replace a tooth that is knocked out. However, investing in a mouthguard is far less expensive than the cost of treating dental trauma.
3. Protect Your Jawbone and Soft Tissues: A mouthguard isn’t just important for protecting your teeth, Wearing a mouthguard also protects the jawbone and the soft tissues of the mouth.

Contact Groupe Dentaire API

Have you experienced tooth loss due to an accident? Here at Groupe Dentaire API, we offer treatment with dental implants to give you a stable, natural-looking smile. To learn more about dental implant treatment, contact our office to schedule your consultation with Dr. Bruno Carré.