Making Sure Your Game Face Protects That Perfect Smile

A healthy and beautiful smile can help get your foot into a lot of doors or land you that big endorsement deal when you make it big in the pros. So how do you protect that investment? Do you really think a dentist would say anything other than brush, floss, and get a cleaning every six months? Well those are all very important ways to keep your teeth healthy for the rest of your life, but let's focus of what you can do while you're trying to be the next big name athlete, or just out there having fun and enjoying the sports you love. Accidents are called that for a reason, they are typically random and unpredictable to when they may happen. However, we can identify some common risk factors that may clue us in to when an accident is more likely to occur. These risk factors unfortunately include contact sports, as well as some sports where there shouldn't be much contact. Everyone expects football and hockey players to protect their teeth with a mouth guard, but most wouldn't consider sports like basketball or soccer to be high risk sports for dental trauma. In reality, trauma to teeth during a basketball or soccer game, along with many other sports like lacrosse is very common. The bottom line is that unless you are playing a sport like golf, track, or swimming, if there is a chance you could get hit in the mouth, a mouth guard would most likely be a good idea. When I say mouth guard, people immediately think of the huge black bulky apparatus that they made you wear in Pop Warner football. The ones that are so big and ill fitting that not even your mom can understand what you're saying and certainly none of your teammates can understand anything you say on the field. To be clear, that is not what we're talking about here. The good news is that there are now other options to protect those pearly whites that are custom fit to your mouth. A custom mouth guard provides superior protection compared to a store-bought mouth guard and also allows for clear and understandable communication during the big game or practice (Yes, you should wear the mouth guard in practice too). A custom mouth guard is made from a dental impression of your teeth and can usually be made to your school or team colors in as little as a week. These mouth guards adapt perfectly to all of your teeth (typically just the upper) and allow for a tight fit that will enable you to call out plays or cheer on your team without people wondering what you are saying. Custom mouth guards can be made by most dental offices and are an affordable way to keep your teeth healthy if an accident occurs. For more information about custom mouth guards that can protect your pearly whites, contact: Gladwell Orthodontics 919.453.6325 or visit them on the webs at www.GladwellOrthodontics.com