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Sports Dentistry: The Importance of Mouthguards

Faris Kirmani • July 25, 2019

If you’re like most Aussies, you have probably played a contact sport or two, sometimes regularly. What many people don’t realize is just how important it is to wear a mouthguard when playing both contact sports and common sports.

Mouth injuries became so prevalent that the Australian Dental Association teamed up with Sports Medicine Australia to introduce a mouthguard policy for clubs to implement. If a club mandates it, the policy operates a strict “No Mouthguard, No Play” policy. As a result of this policy, children and adults can protect themselves from painful mouth injuries and expensive treatments that are entirely preventable.

Man training puts in his mouthguard. He understands the Importance of Mouthguards

Why Mouthguards are Needed

Whether you are playing an intense game of rugby or football, or playing a quiet game of cricket, or going for a ride on your skateboard, accidents happen. Tooth injuries can occur in just about any sport, regardless if it’s a contact sport or not.

71% of dental injuries occur in people 25 years old and younger. 44% of these dental injuries were from leisure sports like cycling, riding a scooter or a skateboard. 5% to 14% of other dental injuries occurred from playing organised sports such as basketball, football, cricket, hockey, netball, and soccer.

Common Injuries from Not Wearing a Mouthguard

Cut gums
Cut lips, cheeks, and tongue
Broken, cracked, or chipped teeth
Broken jaw
Knocked-out teeth

These injuries are not only painful but can result in the need for expensive dental treatments. In severe cases, surgery or tooth replacement may be necessary.

How Mouthguards Protect Your Teeth

Mouthguards work by absorbing the impact of a blow to your teeth. A custom-fitted mouthguard will provide every tooth with the same amount of seamless protection from impact. Since they are custom-fitted, you will also find it easy to speak and breathe normally when wearing it.

At Riverlands Dental, we can provide you with a custom-fitted mouthguard to comfortably protect your mouth while you play sports. Our custom mouthguards are made specifically to fit your mouth and your mouth only. If you have bought a mouthguard from the store or online, you might have found that wearing it was uncomfortable. When something feels uncomfortable, you are less likely to continue wearing it.

We want to encourage our patients to wear their mouthguard every time they play a sport which is why we recommend custom-fit mouthguards. Our mouthguards are comfortable to wear and more durable than the store brands.

If you play sports and you would like to protect your teeth or learn more about our custom-fitted mouthguards made by our dentists, please call Riverlands Dental in North Richmond at (02) 4501 7930.

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