Your oral health as an athlete is essential. A scientific study found that having bad oral health makes it impossible to perform at your highest level.
Diet and Oral Health
You are probably already very aware of the importance of a good diet for your performance. Diet is one of the key ingredients to maintaining good oral health as well.
When you look at what you’re going to eat or drink, consider its impact on your teeth. Many of the drinks and foods advertised to athletes are terrible for the teeth. For example,
sports energy drinks and high-energy bars are typically packed with sugar and have a high acid content. This could be one reason why athletes generally have worse-than-average oral health.
Ensure you look at ingredients and how much sugar is actually in what you’re eating or drinking. It’s easy for a company to slap a “sports” label on a protein bar, but that doesn’t mean that it’s good for you or your teeth!
Mouth Guards for Children
With children back in school and team sports, talking about the mouthguards for protecting your child’s teeth is essential.
The American Association of Orthodontists collected data for an independent survey about mouthguards, and this is what they found:
Ninety-nine percent of parents whose children play
organized sports felt youth should be required to wear mouth guards to play.
Yet 37 percent of parents said their child never wears a
mouthguard while playing sports – in games, practices, and recreational play.
“The reality is that many teeth are knocked out each year due to sports-related injuries,” says Nahid Maleki, DDS, MS, president of the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO).
Mouth Guards for Adults
Wearing a mouthguard applies to adults playing sports too. They are an essential part of your safety gear, even if you play non-contact sports like volleyball, tennis, etc.
Having a tooth knocked out is bad just as much, if not more, as an adult. By wearing a mouthguard, you are potentially saving yourself thousands of dollars and a lot of pain.
To learn more about which sports mouthguards are best, you can check out this article on them here.
Can Sports be Played While Wearing Braces?
You can still be an athlete while you have braces. Just like everyone else, you should wear a mouth guard to help protect your braces and teeth.
Let us know if you need help picking out what mouthguard you should get.
If you experience an accident involving your face, immediately check your mouth and the appliance for damage.
Phone at once for an appointment if your teeth have become loose or the appliance is damaged. Meanwhile, treat your discomfort as you would any general soreness.
Summary
Whether you are an athlete or you have a child in sports, by following what we have covered here and regularly seeing your dentist and orthodontist, you and your family can have perfect pearly whites for a very long time.
Please contact us if you have any questions, we would love to speak with you and have you scheduled for a free consultation.
Sincerely,
Dr. David McDonough