Summer is in full swing and our team hopes your child is making the best of it. For some, that means playing contact sports or activities that involve flying objects. Whatever sports activity your child is playing, we highly recommend wearing a sports guard that can protect their mouth, teeth and gums if something should accidentally impact them while participating.
According to the American Dental Association, your child should wear a custom mouthguard if they are involved in an of these sports:
- Basketball
- Boxing
- Field hockey
- Football
- Gymnastics
- Handball
- Lacrosse
- Martial arts
- Racquetball
- Roller hockey
- Rugby
- Shot putting
- Skateboarding
- Soccer
- Squash
- Volleyball
- Water polo
Wearing a mouthguard can prevent permanent damage to your children’s developing teeth and jaws. And the older your child gets, the more self-conscious they will be with missing teeth. Having a straight and healthy smile and bite is the goal when it comes to your child’s growing smile, both in tooth structure and function.
Caring for a Mouth Guard After Wearing
As part of properly maintaining the mouth guard, your child simply needs to rinse it off after each use with water and sanitize it with a toothbrush, soap and warm (not hot!) water. This protective device shouldn’t be exposed to bleach or abrasives which can damage the guard. Once in a while, the mouthguard can be soaked in an effervescent cleaner, like Efferdent or Polident, for at least 20 minutes. This will help keep it in optimal condition so your child’s mouth stays in good shape!
If your child is playing contact sports, whether indoors or outdoors, protecting their smile should be as important as any other personal protective equipment like helmets, shin guards, eye shields, shoulder or knee pads, etc. We welcome you to contact our office to learn more about mouth guards at Sugarbug Dental in Oxnard, CA. Call (805) 985-2400 today!