Take Gnash’s word for it. Mouth guards don’t just prevent tooth damage. They also prevent several types of injuries. Mouth guards aren’t just for hockey use either. You should wear one during any activity that involves or could involve physical contact. Mouth guards are especially important for children to use because their teeth are still developing. Please encourage your children to wear mouth guards. A healthy smile equals a happy child!

The national Youth Sports Safety Foundation estimates that sports-related injuries will result in the loss of about 5 million teeth for the U.S. youth this year. Don't let yours be amoung them!

Mouth guards are on the most effective pieces of protective equipment in sports.

Without protection, your teeth are 60 times more susceptible to damage. Wear your mouth guard whenever you play games and practice as well as during any other extreme sport activity.

The Facts.

• More than 5 million teeth are knocked out every year resulting in nearly $500 million spent on replacing these teeth.
• 13-39% of all dental injuries are sports related.
• According to the American Dental Association, more than 200,000 oral injuries are prevented annually in this country by sports mouth guards.
• Children between the ages of 7-10 have the highest number of injuries in unorganized sporting accidents, with basketball causing the most of these injuries, followed by biking and hockey.
• The highest incidence of all sports related injury occurred between the 10-19 age group.
• Half of all children will suffer a traumatic injury to a tooth by the time they graduate high school.
• Sports activities cause the greatest percentage of traumatic injuries.
• Males have traditionally suffered traumatic tooth injuries two to three times more often than females.
• Sports related injuries accounted for three times more facial/dental injuries than violence or traffic accidents.

Wearing a mouth guard can prevent all kinds of injuries, such as:

• Lacerations to the lip, cheek and chin.
• Fractures of the facial bones, especially the cheek bones and mandible which can cause facial deformity.
• Possible permanent injury to the jaw joints.
• Broken teeth and teeth knocked out or displaced from their socket.
• Concussions, cerebral hemorrhages and incidents of unconscious.
• Neck injuries - by helping to avoid situations where the lower jaw gets jammed into the upper jaw.
• Preventing laceration and bruising of the lips and cheeks, especially for those who wear orthodontic appliances.
• Young children, in particular, often sustain damaged or dislodged teeth, fractured jaws and lacerated lips when playing sports.

Did You Know?

• A tooth that is dislodged can be reimplanted, treated with a root canal procedure and last for many years if the tooth is kept moist in milk or liquid and treated quickly.
• Half of all dislodged teeth that are reimplanted last 20 years.

Children should wear a mouth guard for the following sports:

• Any activity where there is a strong chance for contact with other participants or hard surfaces, such as basketball, skiing, softball, bicycling, wrestling, soccer, lacrosse, rugby, in-line skating, or martial arts. Bicycling and soccer are two of the three most frequent causes of sports accidents.
• Currently, five sports at the amateur level require mouth guards during practice and competition, including ice hockey, football, boxing, men’s lacrosse and women’s field hockey.

Positive Results

Since 1962 when it became a requirement to war mouth guards in high school and college football during practice session and competition, the percentage of orofacial injuries dropped from 50% to .5%.

There are several different models of mouth guards, and each model varies in price. No matter how much you spend on a mouth guard, all effective mouth guards should meet the following requirements:

• Protects teeth, soft tissue, bone structure, and TM joints.
• Diminishes incidence of concussions and neck injuries.
• Protects entire mouth with high power absorption and power distribution throughout expansion.
• Has high degree of comfort and fit to maxillary arch.
• Remains securely and safely in place during action.
• Allows speaking and does not limit breathing.
• Is durable, resilient, tear resistant, odorless and tasteless.