1. Oral Safety in Sports

2. The American Dental Association recommends mouthguards for: Baseball Basketball Bicycling Boxing Equestrian Events Field Hockey Football Gymnastics Handball Inline Skating Lacrosse Martial Arts Rugby And hockey... Shotputting Racquetball Skateboarding Skiing Soccer Softball Volleyball Water Polo Weightlifting Wrestling

3. What three sports cause the most dental injuries?

4. Some Stats... It’s estimated that over 5 million teeth are damaged or lost each year in sports. An athlete has a 33% chance of sustaining a dental injury in sports. 80% of tooth injuries are to the maxillary central incisors – two front teeth. Photo courtesy T.P. Croll, D.D.S.

5. Rugby becoming more popular

6. Skateboarding

7. Cheerleading

8. What’s the cost of a tooth? Fractured (broken) Root Canal$900 Post & Buildup$275 Crown$1,125 Total$2,300 These are average one- time costs. All crown and bridge work eventually needs to be replaced. Does not include repair of injuries to tongue, cheeks, gums, bone, or plastic surgery.

9. Not to mention... Pain Emotional stress Other orofacial injuries to lips, cheeks, gums, broken jaws, etc And, the issue confronting all athletes, parents and coaches --

10. Concussion! There is emerging evidence that a properly fitting mouthguard, by enlarging the separation between the jaw and skull, can help prevent and/or alleviate concussion.

11. So, you need a mouthguard -- Ready – made? One-size-fits-all, cannot be adjusted Bulky and rubs Mouth must be closed to hold it in place Boil and Bite? Take it home, boil it on the stove, bite into it Hard to fit Gets thin on the biting surfaces of the teeth where cushioning is needed most

12. Or, the Custom-Made Mouthguard: Made to fit the athlete Mold is taken, model made of upper teeth 4mm thick material molded over model

13. Custom-Made: Superior in: Protection Comfort Oxygen uptake Speech And made by licensed professionals