Question: My child loves to play sports and several moms have talked about having their kids wear mouth guards. Is this important? Where do I find a mouth guard?
Answer given by Tanya L. DeSanto, DDS. “If you are a parent with a child involved in sports, this information is for you! Many parents are aware of the importance of protecting the teeth and coaches enforce this as well, especially the hockey, football and soccer coaches.
The purpose of an effective mouth guard is to have proper shock absorption qualities. The ideal material to accomplish this is when a custom fitting mouth guard is made out of EVA, ethylene vinyl acetate.
A custom mouth guard, made by a dentist, is critical for the serious athlete. The EVA material must be 4 mm in thickness all around, properly covered and the bite perfectly balanced.
Many studies have shown over the last two decades that the forces from impact are successfully attenuated by using a mouth guard, which results in far fewer injuries.
Viewing graphed data (Hickey J et al, 1967 ), one can interpret in this study that mouth protectors show a 50% decrease in amplitude of intracranial pressure after a blow to the chin. There has always been thinking that mouth protectors can aid in the prevention of concussions by direct dissipation and/or absorption of force of an upward blow to the jaw.
The preferred mouthguard of choice for any serious athlete is the above mentioned custom made and pressure laminated type made by a dentist. We have even added school colors and numbers for our local sports celebs!
However, the practical part of me as a mom realizes that many of us don’t have the all star high school quarterback at home. Many of us just have an excited little soccer player who still needs protection for the teeth – preferably affordable and simple.
If this is your situation at home, there are two over the counter designs you should consider: the “stock” ready made type or the “boil and bite” type. These two types are not recommended for the long term and do not provide effective protection but they can help in the short term or with the novice athlete.
If these athletic activities become more serious, than consider a custom made mouthguard. But above all, ask your dentist for advice with your child and together the right decision can be made.”
To schedule an appointment with the dentists at Prairie Dental Group visit their website or call 217-546-0412. https://www.prairiedentalgroup.com/
