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School starts shortly and time once again to kit out our sons and daughters for the season. Hurling, football camogie, soccer, rugby… Lets start it with a smile and finish it with a smile.
Statistically, one in six children will damage their front teeth!
Mouthgaurds come in various guises. You can buy mouthgauards in the sports shop and heat them in water moulding tham to your teeth, or you can ask your dentist to make a vacumm fitted, customised mouthgaurd. The latter is better, as we shall see.
The purpose of a mouthgaurd is to protect your teeth and gums and to cushion a blow to the jaw to reduce the chance of tooth fracture, tooth loss, jaw fracture and concusion. The important point is the mouthgaurd must be comfortable to wear and must be worn at all times during contact sport or training. The custom made mouthgaurd is less bulky to wear and therefore more likely to be worn but equally important will not be dislodged at point of impact because it grips so well. Because the fit is so good the mouthgaurd stays in place and cushions the impact of a ball, an elbow, a hurl … reducing  the force  imparted to the teeth and limiting the damage.
Every year at the practice we have half a dozen chipped teeth which will never be whole again  and despite our best efforts with fillings, venners, crowns, bridges and implants, nothing is as good as the original tooth.
Its also very straightforward to make. With one accurate system impression your dentist can send this to the technician who will cast a precise model of the teeth and using a vacuum system, pull an even sheet of soft  polycarbonate onto the model to cover the teeth and 3 – 4 mm of gums. These can even be made in diferent colours and have the name inserted!.
There are various thicknesses and some mouthgaurds have a soft inner and hard outer layer to improve comfort and strength. They can even be made in various colours!
Usually costing from 70 – 100 euro these mouthgaurds should be a compulsory requirement for all contact sports to prevent unncessary dental trauma.
If an injury does occur during a sporting event, remember these basic rules.
With any head injury there is a danger of concussion. “If in doubt, check it out.” Go straight to the hospital where you have any of the following symptoms over the following days: headaches, loss of conciousness or memory, confusion,  sleepiness, nausea, dizziness, slurred speech, vomiting, vision impairment or behavioural changes.
If there is a dental injury,
Keep any fractured bits of teeth. These can sometimes be bonded back in place.
If the tooth is knocked out completely, seek dental attention as soon as possible. Teeth can  be  washed and re-implanted,  ( the sooner the better ) and held in position unitl you can get to a dentist who can splint it in position. If you can do this immediately their is a good chance that the tooth will reintegrate.
“Prevention is better than Cure.”
Ask your dentist for a customised vacuum formed mouthgaurd and keep that winning smile