Image Source by Fortress Mouthguards
As parents, we all want our children to live an active lifestyle and develop a strong healthy body. We prefer our kids to exercise and do sports rather than for them to stay indoors and
spend time in front of a screen for a long period of time. When it comes to sport, we understand the importance of safety and injury prevention. We require our children to wear different types of protective gear when they play sport. For example, we require them to wear a helmet when cycling, knee pads when skating and shin guards when playing soccer.
But when it comes to protecting the teeth and mouth of your little ones during sport, why are so many parents not aware of the importance of wearing a mouthguard?
You see, sports such as AFL Football, Rugby League, Rugby Union, Soccer, Basketball, Hockey, Ice Hockey, Netball, Kickboxing, Boxing, MMA, Karate, Taekwondo, Jiu-Jitsu, Extreme Sports, Water Polo, Judo, Muay Thai, Wrestling and many other contact sports should be no brainers when it comes to wearing a mouthguard because intentional collision and contact are just “part of the game”.
Dental Traumas
Dental traumas from a sporting injury can include chipped, cracked, fractured or knocked-out teeth, a broken jaw, or damage to the nerve of the tooth, the tongue, the cheeks and cut to the lips.
Unfortunately, a single case of dental trauma can lead to a lifetime of dental treatment in order to maintain the strength and health of the damaged tooth/teeth, not to mention the expensive costs involved. Often times, repair work can not last forever, so damaged teeth can become a lifelong problem.
Mouth Guard Failure for a hockey player. Image Source via The Sydney Morning Herald
On average, we receive one distress phone call from a very nervous parent every week urgently wanting to book an emergency appointment because their son or daughter had their tooth knocked out or experienced some form of dental trauma whilst playing sport. A lot of these injuries can be prevented if only they had been wearing a good protective mouthguard at the time. Not just any ordinary mouth guard (like a stock mouthguard available over-the-counter) will do, but a Bespoke Professionally Fitted Sports Mouthguard custom-made for the sports your kid is playing.
Let me explain…
The Importance of a Good Mouthguard
An ordinary over-the-counter mouthguard can be bought for under $10. These are the stock mouthguards (one size fits all) or ‘boil and bite’ type normally sold in your local chemist or sports stores.
They are ill-fitted and loose in the mouth, which offers not much protection at all. They are quite uncomfortable to wear and can sometimes make breathing and speaking difficult. No wonder kids don’t like to wear them! If you ask me, I think they are a complete waste of money and wearing them can be even more dangerous during impact as they can do more harm than good. To prevent the risk of a dental injury to your loved ones who participate in contact sports, we
recommend a custom made professionally fitted sports mouthguard. A custom made mouthguard fits tightly and snuggly inside the mouth, hence it is a lot more comfortable and makes breathing and speaking a breeze. Traditionally this type of bespoke mouthguard is only reserved for the elite athletes, sports professionals, and Olympians due to their high costs in the past. The good news is due to recent technology breakthrough, a custom made professionally fitted sports mouthguard has now become very affordable to the general public.
A good protective custom made mouthguard can serve not just as a buffer but as a cushion to any impacts on your teeth. Even though you might spend more for a custom made mouthguard, the cost of an injury far exceeds the cost of a good quality mouthguard. Besides, no repairs or replacement can be as good as your original healthy teeth, so protect them and hold on to them for as long as you can.
If you can see the value of having a custom made professionally fitted mouthguard in protecting your child’s dental well-being, please give us a call on (02)8065-1080 or book an appointment online on “chatsdenal.com.au”.
During the first appointment, we can discuss your child’s needs, what kind of sports he or she participates in, and help your child decide the most suitable mouthguard.
There are 4 types of mouthguard to choose from:
Once the correct mouthguard type is selected for your child, we will take an impression and reate a stone model of your child’s teeth. From this model, we can then design an unique custom made mouthguard.
Once the mouthguard is made, we will have your child in for a second visit to try the mouthguard on and make sure it is comfortable and fitting properly. We will also examine and make sure the mouthguard will provide adequate protection for your child. Lastly, we will also provide your child with instructions on how to properly care for the new mouthguard to keep it clean and make it last a long time.
At Chats Dental, we only provide the best mouthguards from Fortress Mouthguards®. In fact, Fortress Mouthguards are so confident with the quality of their mouthguards that they are willing to provide a 5-year product warranty on every mouthguard they produce. No other mouthguard manufacturer can give you that level of quality assurance.
Some mouthguards can be custom made with your child’s team or sponsor logo on them. This can really make your child’s mouthguard stand out and add a bit of personality either on an individual basis or as a team.
Image Source by Fortress Mouthguards
We also have plenty of varieties of colours to choose from which can also make your custom made mouthguard a fashion statement!
Here are some of the colour selections:
Whichever way you look at it, it makes sense to invest in a good protective mouthguard your child likes and feels comfortable in so that he or she will want to wear it each and every time when participating in sports. Let’s enjoy sports by play-it-safe!
Dr. Catherine Yang, BDS (USyd)
P.S. Do you have private health insurance? If you do, you might be covered for some or all of the cost of a custom made professionally fitted mouthguard. Check with your insurance provider today!
P.S.S. Do you want to intimidate your opponent out in the field? Do you want to make them
shake in their boots? Do you want them to XXX in their pants? Well, you can achieve this by your mouthguard too!
Image Source by Alexandar Campagna