Since oral health can affect your body, poor dental health can actually impact your athletic performance. Whether you love to exercise at home or are an avid competitor, here’s what you need to know about your dental health when it comes to your physical performance!

Pain Can Affect Your Ability to Train

Having poor oral health—including increased plaque, tooth decay, or gum disease—can cause pain and discomfort in your mouth. Pain can affect your ability to fully participate in trainings and competitions, and can even affect eating [1]. All of these have the ability to impact your athletic ability.

Pain can make it difficult not only to concentrate, but to give a sport or competition your absolute best effort. Keeping your smile healthy can help you avoid discomfort and give your full attention and effort to your athletic performance!

Poor Dental Health Impacts Your Overall Wellbeing

Research indicates that poor oral health can affect your entire wellbeing [2]. Tooth decay and gum disease can both cause and maintain inflammation in the body, which can not only make it more difficult to reach your maximum physical performance, but also hinder your recovery time from trainings.

Poor dental health can also impact your quality of life, which can, in turn, affect your physical ability. A healthy smile is an integral part of a healthy body—so maintaining your oral health can help maintain bodily health as well!

Strong Teeth Keep You in the Game

Did you know that athletes are at an increased risk for oral disease and trauma? This is because exercise can cause dehydration, which can lead to dry mouth. Dry mouth carries an increased risk for cavities and gum disease. In addition, physical stress can lead to teeth grinding, and sports snacks and drinks tend to contain a lot of added sugar.

Athletes that have existing oral health problems such as tooth decay have a higher chance of sustaining an injury to their smile during their sport or competition. Teeth that are weakened by tooth decay or gum disease are more susceptible to cracks, chips, and even to be knocked out by an impact.

Are You an Athlete?

Whether you play sports or just enjoy the occasional jog, keeping up with your oral health is essential to your performance. If you play a contact sport, it’s always a good idea to invest in a custom mouthguard from your dentist to prevent an injury that could permanently alter your smile. And by keeping up with your regular oral care habits at home and visiting your dentist, you can ensure a strong smile to support your highest physical performance!

Sources:
1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29938820
2. https://www.fdiworlddental.org/news/20190529/poor-oral-hygiene-severely-impacts-training-and-athletic-performance

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Although picking up a mouthguard next time you’re at the store might seem tempting, going with a custom mouthguard will offer your child the full amount of protection they need to prevent dental emergencies with their smile. Here’s why you should never neglect to get a custom mouthguard for your student athlete!

Why Custom Mouthguards Are Better

Custom mouthguards are made to fit your child’s unique smile. Store-bought mouthguards offer a very minimal level of protection, as they’re not made to fully protect each and every one of your child’s teeth or their gum tissue.

Store-bought mouthguards tend to be too large and bulky, which can inhibit your child’s breathing during sports and may even discourage them from wearing the mouthguard. With customized mouthguards, you give your child their best chance to minimize an accident or damaged teeth or gums.

In fact, some tentative research even shows that custom mouthguards may help reduce the rate and severity of concussions in sports, as they help absorb the impact from a hit or fall [1]. Personalize Your Protection

Your student athlete should be required to wear a mouthguard, but may not want to wear one, especially if you have an over-the-counter mouthguard that’s uncomfortable and doesn’t quite fit.

When you opt for a custom mouthguard, your dentist will take impressions of your child’s teeth to create an exact fit with their new mouthguard. Some dentists offer even more
personalization for your child’s mouthguard, allowing them to choose colors, designs, and logos to print onto the mouthguard.

These fun and unique design features can increase the chances that your child will wear the mouthguard during their favorite sport!

Where to Find a Custom Mouthguard

Most dental practices offer services to make a custom mouthguard for your child’s smile. You can ask your local dentist about their custom mouthguard solutions to fully protect your student’s smile from accidents or injuries during sports.

Custom mouthguards are considered to be superior forms of protection when it comes to protecting oral health and jaw injuries [2]. To help your teen or child prevent dental emergencies that could include a knocked-out tooth, loose teeth, cut gums, or chipped or fractured teeth, go custom!

Sources:
1. https://www.ada.org/~/media/ADA/Science%20and%20Research/Files/patient_69.ashx
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2987604/

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When it comes to mouthguards, you have a couple of options: the first is to buy one at the store, which tends to be relatively inexpensive and is easy enough to pick up. Your second option is to get a custom-fit mouthguard at your dentist’s office.

Why would you opt for a custom-fit mouthguard from your dentist? Here’s why you should absolutely invest in a custom mouthguard for your child!

Better Protect Your Child

Custom mouthguards offer an advanced level of protection that store-bought ones just can’t provide. A custom-fit mouthguard is made to specifically fit your child’s mouth and to protect each tooth. Generic, store-bought mouthguards are usually one-size-fits-all, and no two people have the same mouth!

Store-bought mouthguards are also less durable and tend to wear out quickly, meaning you’ll need to replace them more often in order to keep protecting your child’s smile. With custom-fit mouthguards from your dentist, the strength and durability of these quality mouthguards will protect your child’s smile for seasons to come.

Custom-Fit Means More Comfort

Since custom-fit mouthguards are made just for your child, they fit perfectly and tend to be much more comfortable than generic mouthguards. Often bulky and too big, store-bought mouthguards can be uncomfortable at best and painful at worst, making it less likely that your child will actually wear it during sports.

Even worse, these mouthguards have the potential to hinder your child’s breathing. When you invest in a custom-fit mouthguard, your child can breathe properly, eliminate distraction during sports, and fully protect your child’s smile.

Prevent Injury to the Head and Mouth

Custom-fit mouthguards provide the best protection for your child. They are made to properly absorb the impact of a blow to keep your child’s teeth safe. In fact, some research shows that mouthguards may actually be able to prevent concussions by absorbing the blow and preventing your child’s jaw or skull from being injured.

When you consider that a custom-fit mouthguard is your best chance to protect your child’s teeth from injury, it makes sense to make the investment. Often, these mouthguards are more affordable than people think and when you consider dental work or an emergency room visit if your child’s mouth is injured, they seem very affordable indeed!

Are you considering a custom mouthguard for your child’s sport season? You can schedule an appointment with your dentist to discuss your options. When it comes to your child’s smile, you can provide them with the utmost level of protection and keep them comfortable and safe during sports, making the season fun for everyone!

The post Should My Child Wear a Custom-Fit Mouthguard During Sports? appeared first on Your Dental Health Resource.

However, even wearing a mouthguard during non-contact sports such as soccer, basketball, and
baseball can help prevent injuries. Any child who plays a sport—regardless of age—should wear
a mouthguard. But why?

Injuries Can Happen During Any Sport

Accidents can happen anywhere, especially when your child is involved in a sport. Sports
injuries to the face, jaw, or mouth can cause major damage, from tooth loss to cut gums.

Even if your child just loses a baby tooth, losing baby teeth prematurely will impact your child’s
permanent teeth. Baby teeth are there to help guide adult teeth into position, so without this
important marker, your child may need to have orthodontia later on.

A mouthguard helps absorb the impact of the blow to the face or jaw, reducing the chances
that your child’s teeth will suffer the consequences. In fact, recent research suggests that
mouthguards may help prevent concussions during sports!

Mouthguards for Children of All Ages

Children of any age can be sized for a mouthguard. Many children start playing sports young, so
dentists can make custom mouthguards for children of all ages and sizes.

Although store-bought mouthguards are cheaper, they tend to be uncomfortable and don’t
provide full protection. A custom mouthguard from your dentist is your best choice and will
provide complete protection for your little one’s smile.

Mouthguards aren’t just for kids with braces—any child can benefit from wearing one when
playing sports!

How to Get Your Child to Wear Their Mouthguard

Not all children are keen on wearing mouthguards. Some may be too young to fully understand
why the mouthguard is necessary and attempt to go without it. Fortunately, there are several
ways to get your child to wear their mouthguard.

 Get their favorite color. Your child will love their custom colored mouthguard!

 Make it fun. You can get sparkly mouthguards or mouthguards with a unique logo or
design to customize it for your child.

 Flavored mouthguards. Some dentists offer the option for mouthguards to come with a
flavor, which may encourage your child to wear it during their sport.

 Incentives. If all else fails, offer your child an incentive, such as choosing a prize after
every game they wear their mouthguard.

You can and should explain to your child why the mouthguard is important for their smile, even
if they’re a bit young to fully understand. You can explain that a mouthguard is just as
important as their uniform, knee pads, shin guards, and other protective gear. You can also tell
them that a mouthguard is just another way of taking care of your smile, just like brushing and
flossing.

If your child is playing a sport, especially a contact sport, a mouthguard should be an essential
part of their uniform during games and practices. Protecting your child’s teeth—even if they’re
baby teeth—is going to help their smile remain healthy and secure for life!

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