I wanted to take a break from our coverage of Oral Cancer Awareness Month to discuss another important part of keeping your family’s smiles safe and in one piece.

It’s April in the Midwest, and for a lot of us – especially parents – that means baseball season is starting in earnest. That means going to and from practices, cheering from the bleachers, and eating more than your fair share of hot dogs.

It also means holding your breath every time they’re up to bat or on the receiving end of a pop fly. Not just because you’re caught up in the anticipation of the audience and the pride of a parent, but because you’re worried about the ball landing where it’s not supposed to.

Sporting related oral injuries are one of the most traumatic experiences a person can go through. It’s bad enough to have it happen as an adult, but for a child it can be downright devastating. Not only with their pain be excruciating but the psychological effects can haunt them for years, both on and off of the playing field.

If you’ve never had to endure an oral injury, either as a result of a sporting error or other accident, then take it from somebody who has spent over a decade repairing the damage firsthand: The only thing more devastating than the physical pain of an oral injury is the emotional toll it take on a child’s confidence.

And the emotional toll of an injury will show itself in a few different ways. For example, one of the immediate effects is to become “gun shy” about whatever it was which caused the injury in the first place. Even if you brave little leaguer gets back up on the horse, studies have shown that oral injuries and a lack of protection can reduce their confidence on the field by inhibiting their actions. In others, they’ll still want to play, but they won’t play nearly as heard, or have as much fun.

Then there’s dealing with the fallout from restorative dentistry. After an oral injury, it is more often necessary than not to obtain reconstructive treatment. But that can anything from undergoing multiple operations, to years of wearing cumbersome orthodontic gear. The negative effect that can have on their self-esteem and social standing among their peers should be obvious enough to avoid going into detail about it. You know how cruel kids can be.

And as their guardian, you will have to foot a costly bill to repair the damage. Picking up the literal pieces of a smile broken due to oral injury can cost tens of thousands of dollars in restorative dentistry costs. Of course your child deserves it, but it doesn’t mean it won’t but a strain on your household’s budget.

Athletic Mouthguards Provide Superior Smile Protection
You and your child don’t have to go through any of that, however, thanks to a simple piece of plastic which can prevent an oral injury before it happens.

What a world of difference preventive dentistry can make. Instead of dealing with the massive repercussions after the fact, you can get out ahead of them with an athletic mouthguard.

Aside from dramatically reducing the likelihood of violent tooth loss or fracture, studies have shown that athletic mouthguards achieve a number of side benefits, including increasing performance on the field – athletes who know they are properly protected tend to play like they are properly protected.

You can get this protection for your child or adolescent by making a simple appointment. I’ll examine their mouths and personally craft a durable mouthguard based upon the exact contours of their smile.

By customizing the shape of the mouthguard to your child’s smile, I can ensure a perfect fit that will help absorb the impact of any head injuries better than flimsy, over-the-counter mouthguards, which are essentially a waste of your money, and provide you with a false sense of security instead of the real thing.

Two Easy Ways To Make Your Appointment
Indeed, a quality, custom-fabricated athletic mouthguard crafted by your Birmingham dentist can mean the difference between a scratch or a serious concussion accompanied by broken teeth. It’s a night-and-day difference that you can’t afford to be on the wrong side of.

To make your appointment, please call me at 248-972-8720, or fill out this web form to request your appointment online.