Mouthguards – Protect Your Teeth - Save Your Smile

NW Calgary Dentists at Metro Dental in Harvest Hills are all about helping patients protect teeth and smiles during times of physical activity. We’ve all seen professional hockey players wear mouthguards during practices and games – and there’s a really good reason why they rely on a mouthguard to protect their pearly whites. Did you know that in the USA more than 5 million teeth are knocked out during sporting events each year? There’s only one person benefiting from this statistic – that’s the Tooth Fairy! 5 million prematurely lost teeth means a lot of gappy smiles and unanticipated trips to see the dentist.

Dr. Verena Lam and Dr. Jeff Chen are Calgary Dentists who feel that prevention is always best, and recommend the use of sports guards to protect against tooth loss and oral trauma. Just like a helmet is religiously worn to avoid a head injury – the consistent use of a sports or mouthguard is essential to preventing damage to teeth and surrounding tissue. It only takes seconds for an accident to happen – so wearing a sports guard during every practice and game reduces the risk of oral injury. But it isn’t just our little hockey players who need to protect their teeth – regardless of age or type of sporting activity, a sports guard should be worn.

Adult patients who play football, hockey, baseball, or ringette (to name just a few) also require the protective benefits a sports guard offers. Tooth loss doesn’t always occur as the result of a collision with another player or wayward puck – sometimes mouth injuries occur due to our own lack of concentration – resulting in falls and crashes. Having a sports guard to bite in to not only prevents a tooth from becoming knocked out or damaged but also provides a cushioning effect during clenching. In anticipation of a tackle, hit or wipe-out a patient will clench – often resulting in broken dentistry or teeth. Wearing a mouth guard reduces the amount of force exerted on teeth – protecting them from trauma and breakage.

It’s never too late to take preventative measures to protect your oral health. If you would like more information regarding mouthguards or would like to make an appointment for a custom fit guard – contact Metro Dental today (587) 355-2524