Why Your Child Should Wear a Mouth Guard During Summer Sports

Kids in El Segundo can get very active in the summer...and that can mean dental accidents. All it takes is one stray ball and, wham! A tooth can get knocked out. While this isn’t necessarily the end of the world for a child, it can be unnecessarily traumatic and painful to fix.

Of course, prevention is always better than a cure. And in this case, a dental mouth guard is a very simple and easy way to prevent tooth injuries due to summertime sports accidents.

What Is a Dental Mouth Guard?

A dental mouth guard aka sports guard is simply a small non-mechanical device that fits over the teeth to protect them from an impact, usually made from moldable plastic. Mouth guards should be used in addition to helmets. Don’t assume a helmet will protect teeth...because helmets can’t necessarily protect the teeth and the jaw.

When Are Dental Mouth Guards Needed?

When in doubt, have your child wear a mouth guard. This is because injuries and accidents during sports and roughhousing are actually quite common with kids, especially in the warm summer months.

Thanks to mouth guards, more than 200,000 mouth-related injuries are prevented every year.

Mouth guards are great for any type of contact sport, such as football, of course. But they are also good for any active sport involving a ball, such as basketball, baseball, volleyball, soccer, and, of course, kickball.

Once the summer is over, your kid will still need a mouth guard, especially for winter sports like hockey.

What Can Happen If My Child Is Not Wearing a Mouth Guard?

One of the most common injuries to the mouth in children is to have a tooth knocked out. This can occur when a ball flies into the child’s face or if another child’s arm or sporting good accidentally hits the mouth. Having a mouth guard in place, one that is properly fitting, can greatly reduce if not entirely eliminate the chance for a tooth to be knocked out.

A knocked-out tooth may not seem problematic for kids who do not have their permanent teeth in yet. However, when a baby tooth is knocked out, it can cause problems for other teeth, because the spacing is now “off” inside the mouth.

Therefore, even if a baby tooth gets knocked out, you should bring your child to El Segundo Modern Dentistry & Orthodontics. We can place a spacer where the baby tooth was to ensure that the permanent tooth has enough room to come in. (Of course, wearing a mouth guard might avoid this altogether!)

What Types of Mouth Guards Are Available?

You can get three main types of mouth guards for your child in El Segundo. They range in price and effectiveness, but even a cheap mouth guard is better than no mouth guard.

What Are Athletic Mouth Guards?

Athletic mouth guards, also called stock mouth guards, are available over the counter. You can find them in most drugstores. As they are one-size-fits-all, they often don’t fit very well, nor do they provide very good protection. Make sure you purchase an athletic mouth guard designed for children if you decide to go this route.

What Are Boil-and-Bite Mouth Guards?

Also, available over the counter, a boil-and-bite mouth guard is customized to the mouth using an at-home setting procedure. To do this, heating water is necessary, and so the parent must take care of this process – do not allow your child to do this unless they are a much older, mature teenager!

Basically, the mouth guard is heated in hot water and then placed in the mouth while warm to mold the guard around the teeth. Because the hot water can make the mouth guard very, very hot and even dangerous, once again, we must emphasize that a parent should handle this and be very careful.

What Are Custom Professional Mouth Guards?

The best option for the strongest and safest mouth guard is a custom mouth guard made by your dentist at El Segundo Modern Dentistry & Orthodontics. These will be the best fitting, safest, and most effective mouth guards for your child. They are made using precision dental impressions of your child’s teeth, which are sent off to a laboratory to make the custom mouth guard.

How Can I Get My Kid to Wear Their Mouth Guard?

One of the challenges a parent might have with a child is in actually getting them to wear the mouth guard. While you know your kids better than we do, obviously, there are ways you can try to entice your child.

For example, you might tell your younger child that a mouth guard is something superheroes wear as a special protection during a battle. Make it fun! You can also promise your child allowance treats (but no sugary treats of course) as a reward for wearing and taking care of their mouth guard.

How Should a Child’s Mouth Guard Be Maintained?

Our El Segundo dental team recommends the following tips to help keep your child’s mouth guard in great shape:

• Keep the mouth guard clean by rinsing it with an antiseptic mouthwash and some clean water after each use.
• Avoid putting the mouth guard in hot environments, especially in parked cars, where it can warp or melt.
• Replace your child’s mouth guard before every season (especially because children’s teeth change as they are growing).
• Keep an eye on the mouth guard for any signs of wear and tear, and replace as necessary.

Help Your Kids Maintain an Amazing Smile in El Segundo

Whether your kid needs help in a dental emergency or it’s finally time for braces, El Segundo Modern Dentistry & Orthodontics can help. Our entire dental and orthodontics team enjoys working with children of all ages. We are dedicated to helping your child have a beautiful smile that will last their entire life. We do this through innovative dental and orthodontic technologies, caring dental service, and affordable payment plans.

We are here for you during the summer as your kids are active and may need a little help with a loose tooth, which will hopefully be prevented with, of course, a mouth guard.

If your kids need help with their teeth, El Segundo Modern Dentistry & Orthodontics offers both pediatric dentistry and orthodontics with a focus on helping make kids smile. Contact us today at 424-277-2671 to schedule an appointment.