How To Prevent A Dental Emergency At Your Child’s Sporting Game

Sports like cricket put your child’s teeth at risk. All it takes is for one hard and fast-moving ball to impact their face, and they could sustain a severe dental injury (or more). When your child is participating in sports involving hard objects and contact sports, you must provide them with adequate protection. Below you will find the best equipment to invest in to keep your children’s teeth safe during their sporting games.

Face Cages

If a ball cannot directly impact your child’s face, they will not sustain an injury. If your child is playing in a defensive position, such as the wicket keeper of a hockey goalie, they will need a face cage to protect their teeth from impact.

Helmets

For sports that allow it, it’s wise to invest in a helmet for your child. A traumatic head injury could cause a concussion, brain damage, and more severe and complex issues. A helmet may not protect your child’s teeth, but it will protect their head and jaw area from injury.

Mouthguards

Mouthguards are an essential investment for contact sports and sports involving heavy balls. When it comes to mouthguards, you have several options:

Boil and bite – This mouthguard is easily purchased at a sporting goods store. You simply boil the mouthguard in a pan, cool it, and hand it over to your child. Your child should then place the mouthguard into their mouth and bite down hard. The softened rubber will mould to the shape of your child’s teeth. Boil and bite mouth guards are affordable but can cause discomfort as they are not custom-made to fit your child’s mouth.
Stock mouthguards – They do not require fitting, as they do not mould to your teeth. Instead, you hold them in place by clenching your teeth.
Custom-fit mouthguards – These are pricier, but they make up for it in comfort and added protection. A dental expert takes an impression of the child’s teeth and uses that impression to make a custom-fit mouthguard tailored to the size and shape of your child’s mouth. Over time, the custom-fit mouthguard will need cleaning and replacing as it becomes worn.

What Happens If Your Child Sustains A Dental Injury?

If your child sustains a dental injury, you should take them to the emergency children’s dentist as soon as possible. If your child has lost a tooth, time is of the essence. Your dentist may be able to refit the tooth so long as the root hasn’t begun to seal up. Try to get to your dentist within an hour of the incident and take the following steps:

Rinse the root and hold the tooth in place – Remove any debris from the root of the tooth with a simple rinse. Then, hold the tooth where it belongs to ensure the root does not seal up. This will increase the likelihood of a successful repair.
Keep the tooth in milk – If you cannot place the tooth back in its original spot, keep the tooth in milk.

If you cannot save the tooth, your child will still have options. Your dentist in East Bentleigh can get your child’s smile back to normal with a dental implant.

Summary

You should take every precaution to protect your child’s natural teeth. If your child is participating in contact sports or sports involving heavy balls, you should invest in a custom-fitted mouthguard. Custom-fitted mouthguards offer the best protection for your child’s mouth and are the most comfortable type of mouthguard. Speak to Verve Dental about custom mouthguard fitting!