“In his column for the Modesto (CA) Bee(3/13), Dr. Michael E. Cadra writes that National Facial Protection Month comes in April, but adds that he has already seen “several dental and facial injuries this month due to baseball” and the unseasonably dry, warm weather. Dr. Cadra writes that the National Youth Sports Safety Foundation forecast last year that some 3 million teeth would be knocked out as the result of youth sporting events. More concerning is an American Association of Orthodontists survey that found that 67 percent of parents said their children do not wear mouth guards during sporting activities, even though the NYSSF reports that ‘athletes who do not wear mouth guards are 60 times more likely to damage their teeth.’ Dr. Cadra goes on to advise parents insist their children wear proper safety equipment while playing sports.” – ADA Morning Huddle, 3/13/2015
Endodontists are trauma treatment experts who follow the AAE Trauma Guidelines that are based on strict research for the best long-term prognosis of injuries. We recommend kids and adults to wear mouthguards for all contact sports, which includes soccer and basketball.
At Southlake Endodontics, PLLC we see the most teeth injuries with basketball and a close second is baseball. We have not seen tooth injuries from football. Of course the players wear helmets, but the mouth guard is the real reason that football players rarely get teeth injuries.
We recommend putting our office number (817-488-3636) in your cell phone for quick access when you need us. The #1 predictor for the most successful outcome is immediate dental treatment following dental trauma.
