Mouthguards: Necessary Athletic Equipment

Mouthguards: Necessary Athletic Equipment

Do your children play basketball, football, soccer or softball? Do they wrestle or box, play rugby or lacrosse, skateboard, or participate in martial arts? According to the Academy of General Dentistry, all children should wear a properly fitted mouthguard when participating in these or any other contact sport. A mouthguard will help protect their teeth and reduce the likelihood of lip, cheek, tongue and jaw injuries.

Mouthguards are flexible appliances that protect teeth from both direct and indirect trauma. Most mouthguards cover only the upper teeth. However, Dr. Jared may recommend a mouthguard for the lower teeth if your child wears braces on these teeth.

Mouthguards come in three styles and price ranges:

• Stock mouthguards are off-the-shelf devices. They are inexpensive but offer the least protection because they require the lower jaw to remain closed to keep them in place. Dental professionals consider the protection offered by stock mouthguards to be inadequate.
• “Boil and bite” mouthguards are made of a thermoplastic material that, when heated and inserted into the mouth, conforms to the shape of the teeth. They provide better protection than do stock mouthguards
• Custom-made mouthguards are the most expensive but provide the best level of protection and comfort. These are made from a mold of the teeth taken in our office.

The National Youth Sports Safety Foundation projects that more than 3 million teeth will be knocked out each year in youth sports events. Children who do not wear mouthguards are 60 times more likely to experience tooth damage. Despite this, a survey commissioned by the American Academy of Orthodontists found that 84% of children playing organized sports do not wear mouthguards.

So, buy helmets, pads and other protective equipment to keep your children safe, but also put a high-quality mouthguard on your shopping list. And if your child is using a mouthguard, bring it along to his or her next dental appointment at KiDDS Dental and let us check the fit.

If you have questions about mouthguards, click here to schedule an appointment with Dr. Jared. Or give us a call at (509)-891-7070.

One Brushstroke = Ten Years of Cavity Protection

One Brushstroke = Ten Years of Cavity Protection

The cavity-prevention method called “sealing” is a very effective and easy way for dentists and parents to help greatly reduce the chance that children will develop tooth decay.

How it works: The sealant, brushed onto the surfaces of your child’s teeth, is actually a liquid form of plastic. The back teeth—premolars and molars, with their particularly deep crevices—benefit most from sealants. Without sealants, food particles and decay-causing bacteria can remain in those tough-to-reach spaces, away from the efforts of even the most conscientious tooth-brushers.

After we apply the sealant, it hardens rapidly and becomes a colorless physical barrier―it literally “seals up” those tooth crevices so food and bacteria cannot settle there. The best strategy appears to be applying sealant to the chewing surface of each back tooth as soon as possible after the tooth emerges in your child’s mouth. We often recommend sealing primary teeth as well.

Generally long lasting, one application of sealant can last for up to a decade. During each of your child’s checkups, we’ll inspect the sealant and apply more if necessary, because on occasion the sealant may wear away earlier than expected.

If there is a downside to applying dental sealant, it’s that parents and children can be lulled into a false sense of security. While sealants do effectively deter cavities from forming in children’s nook-and-cranny-filled back teeth, they provide no guarantee that all of your child’s teeth will remain cavity-free. To best protect the smooth surfaces of all teeth, expose them to fluoride—with fluoride toothpaste, fluoridated water and, in some cases for extra protection, a fluoride rinse.

Remember that, even with sealed teeth, your child needs to follow the rules of good dental hygiene. Your child still should brush twice a day, floss once a day, and avoid sticky candy and cookies unless he or she can brush right after eating them.

More questions about sealants? Talk to Dr. Jared and his clinical team at your child’s next visit to KiDDS Dental.

Call us to schedule an appointment today!  509-891-7070.