With the start of the Six Nations I have just enjoyed a weekend of rugby and every time I see a player remove his mouthguards/ gumshields I am reminded how important and effective they are at preventing dental injuries. That is what preventative dentistry is all about.
There are some good products available in the sport shops where you heat them up in hot water and then mould the plastic to your teeth. The disadvantage is it is hard to get a really tight fit and the coverage above the teeth is limited. Just watch how difficult it is for the professionals to remove their gumshield’s, (you will have plenty of opportunity over the next few weeks, I can’t wait) they really have to tug them out between play.
The best mouthguards are custom made professionally by a dentist. Yes they are more expensive at between £40-50 but they won’t get knocked out even under extreme conditions. It’s one of the cheapest elements of a sports kit and offers you excellent value for money if it saves yours or your child’s smile.
Mouthguards are worn in many other sports other than rugby for instance hockey lacrosse and contact sports like boxing. The great thing is they come in numerous colours. My son has one that looks like vampire teeth.
Just in case you aren’t wearing a mouthguard and you have a tooth knocked out this is what you need to do.
Firstly, if you can find the tooth and it is clean – put it back into the socket yourself. If you can’t do this then put it straight in a cup of milk or just keep it like a sweet in your cheek. You then need to see a dentist urgently. Take painkillers (but don’t suck aspirin or clove oil) if necessary.
What you must NOT do is hold the tooth by the root, wash it in water or disinfectant or wrap it in a tissue which will dry it out. The tooth is surrounded by fragile ligaments which need to be kept intact if the tooth is to be replaced. The sooner the tooth is replaced, the better the chance of success. The dentist will put the tooth back if you haven't and splint it for a few weeks while it heals which is usually successful. However, you will almost certainly need more treatment in the future.
Hope this has been useful and come on England.
There are some good products available in the sport shops where you heat them up in hot water and then mould the plastic to your teeth. The disadvantage is it is hard to get a really tight fit and the coverage above the teeth is limited. Just watch how difficult it is for the professionals to remove their gumshield’s, (you will have plenty of opportunity over the next few weeks, I can’t wait) they really have to tug them out between play.
The best mouthguards are custom made professionally by a dentist. Yes they are more expensive at between £40-50 but they won’t get knocked out even under extreme conditions. It’s one of the cheapest elements of a sports kit and offers you excellent value for money if it saves yours or your child’s smile.
Mouthguards are worn in many other sports other than rugby for instance hockey lacrosse and contact sports like boxing. The great thing is they come in numerous colours. My son has one that looks like vampire teeth.
Just in case you aren’t wearing a mouthguard and you have a tooth knocked out this is what you need to do.
Firstly, if you can find the tooth and it is clean – put it back into the socket yourself. If you can’t do this then put it straight in a cup of milk or just keep it like a sweet in your cheek. You then need to see a dentist urgently. Take painkillers (but don’t suck aspirin or clove oil) if necessary.
What you must NOT do is hold the tooth by the root, wash it in water or disinfectant or wrap it in a tissue which will dry it out. The tooth is surrounded by fragile ligaments which need to be kept intact if the tooth is to be replaced. The sooner the tooth is replaced, the better the chance of success. The dentist will put the tooth back if you haven't and splint it for a few weeks while it heals which is usually successful. However, you will almost certainly need more treatment in the future.
Hope this has been useful and come on England.
The impression process was easy and my mouthguard is very comfortable and light weight. The service was great, fast and the whole process in general was easier than I thought.
ReplyDelete