Dental professionals recognise the use and preventative value of using mouthguards for those who take part in sporting activities. Each year, children and adults are involved in injuries causing damage to the teeth and jaw which could have been prevented or minimised with the use of a protective mouthguard.
The Australian Dental Association recommends a custom fitted mouthguard for all those who participate in contact sports or those at high risk of dental injury (ADA, 2015).
Anyone who plays a contact sport including rugby union, rugby league, AFL and boxing should wear a mouthguard both while playing and while training ! Your child is just as likely to injure themselves while they are training. Sports are categorised into contact and non-contact meaning that even those who play netball, basketball and touch football can also be at risk of unintentional collisions and face dental trauma.
A custom fitted mouthguard can be designed at Concord Dental Practice for your child, because they are personalised to your child’s mouth it gives them optimum protection against any trauma, as well as making it easier to breathe and talk. Any mouthguard which is loose, ill fitted or damaged should be replaced. Sometimes, a mouthguard may only last a season depending on the age of the child and transitioning period of the teeth.
It is always good to recommend a ‘mouthguard policy’ to your local sporting team coach to provide all the children on the team with protection against any injury. A ‘no mouthguard, ‘no play’ rule can be a great way to provide the optimal protection and minimize any trauma.
At Concord Dental Practice we recommend the use of mouthguards for all contact and non-contact (high risk) sports. We are able to take an impression of the teeth and create custom mouthguard for your child giving them the best protection against sporting injuries.
