{"id":848,"date":"2016-09-07T17:03:29","date_gmt":"2016-09-07T17:03:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thedentalexpress.com\/the-5-riskiest-sports-for-your-teeth\/"},"modified":"2023-07-26T10:57:52","modified_gmt":"2023-07-26T10:57:52","slug":"the-5-riskiest-sports-for-your-teeth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thedentalexpress.com\/dental-blog\/the-5-riskiest-sports-for-your-teeth\/","title":{"rendered":"The 5 Riskiest Sports for Your Teeth"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>The 5 Riskiest Sports for Your Teeth:<\/strong> Every sports fan has seen a favorite athlete take a serious tumble, receive an elbow in the face or get smacked with a baseball. While it\u2019s one thing to see these unfortunate incidents play out on ESPN, <strong>it\u2019s a different matter when you, your son or your daughter is the one facing an injury.<\/strong>\u00a0While mouthguards remain one of the best ways to reduce the risk of sport-related dental injuries, they are worthless if not used. In one survey conducted by the American Association of Orthodontists,\u00a0<strong>a staggering 67 percent of parents admitted that their child didn\u2019t always wear a mouthguard when playing sports.<\/strong>\u00a0If that isn\u2019t alarming enough, how about this: Out of the 7 million\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ada.org\/en\/press-room\/news-releases\/2013-archive\/april\/play-it-safe-prevent-facial-injuries-with-simple-s\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">recreation-related injuries<\/a>\u00a0each year, more than half are sustained by children as young as five.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.doctorlogic.com\/Images\/Sites\/D\/DE-SanDiego\/Post\/five-riskiest-sports-for-your-teeth.jpg\" alt=\"five-riskiest-sports-for-your-teeth\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>When should you wear a mouthguard?<\/h2>\n<p>Granted, each sport has its risks and rewards, and if you\u2019re not wearing a mouthguard&#8211;or using one ineffectively&#8211;any activity can pose a greater risk to your teeth.\u00a0<strong>You should always wear a mouthguard for the following sports:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Basketball<\/li>\n<li>Boxing<\/li>\n<li>Equestrian sports<\/li>\n<li>Track and field events<\/li>\n<li>Field hockey<\/li>\n<li>Football<\/li>\n<li>Gymnastics<\/li>\n<li>Handball<\/li>\n<li>Ice hockey<\/li>\n<li>Inline skating<\/li>\n<li>Lacrosse<\/li>\n<li>Martial arts<\/li>\n<li>Racquetball<\/li>\n<li>Rugby<\/li>\n<li>Soccer<\/li>\n<li>Softball<\/li>\n<li>Squash<\/li>\n<li>Volleyball<\/li>\n<li>Water polo<\/li>\n<li>Wrestling<\/li>\n<li>Any extreme sport<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Sound like a lot? It is. But remember that the National Youth Sports Safety Foundation estimates that in any given year,\u00a0<strong>3 million teeth are knocked out during organized sporting events.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2>The 5 Most Dangerous Sports for Your Teeth<\/h2>\n<p>However, out of the list above, there are several \u201crepeat offenders: &#8212; the sports most likely to result in a dental injury. We count down the top five, and number one may surprise you.<\/p>\n<h3>5. Skateboarding and Other \u201cThrill Seeking\u201d Sports<\/h3>\n<p>This category includes snowboarding and skiing. While these do not involve any contact with opponents, a carelessly planned maneuver can result in contact with the pavement.<\/p>\n<h3>4. Boxing, Wrestling, and Marital Arts<\/h3>\n<p>It makes sense that if your opponent is throwing a punch at your face, he or she may take out a few incisors with it. Some studies show that more than 50 percent of wrestlers interviewed reported some type of dental injury. Because many of these sports, including martial arts, require the use of mouthguards, dental injuries are not as common as they could be.<\/p>\n<h3>3. \u201cBall and Stick\u201d Games<\/h3>\n<p>These include baseball, hockey, lacrosse, and any game involving striking a ball with a stick or bat. While these games may actually account for a larger number of injuries, these injuries are generally not as severe because many of them, such as hockey and lacrosse, require players to wear mouthguards and other protective gear.<\/p>\n<h3>2. Football<\/h3>\n<p>You\u2019re surprised it isn\u2019t number one, aren\u2019t you? At some point, it probably was. In the 1950s, prior to widespread mouthguard use, 54 percent of football injuries involved teeth. Fast forward 60 years, and the dental injury rate is around 2.8 percent.<\/p>\n<h3>1. Basketball<\/h3>\n<p>If you\u2019ve ever played a pickup game at Ward Canyon Park or watched the San Diego State Aztecs face an opponent, you understand that basketball is a \u201cno-contact sport\u201d\u00a0<strong>in name only.<\/strong>\u00a0In one study, men\u2019s basketball counted for roughly 10.6 injuries per 100 athletes&#8212;<strong>more than three times the amount by football.<\/strong>\u00a0Women\u2019s basketball also had an exponentially higher rate of injury at 5 incidents per 100 athletes. Next time you watch a professional or college game, take a look at how many athletes are wearing mouthguards. They aren\u2019t used as often as they are in football. In fact, an alarming number of collegiate basketball players have\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2014\/03\/30\/sports\/ncaabasketball\/ncaa-players-ignore-advice-on-mouth-guards-often-at-their-own-peril.html?_r=0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">unprotected teeth!<\/a><\/p>\n<h2>Be prepared for dental emergencies.<\/h2>\n<p>It\u2019s also important to know exactly\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thedentalexpress.com\/dental-emergency-tips\">what to do in case of an injured tooth or dental emergency.<\/a>\u00a0Of course, before you or your child begins any sport, talk to your dentist about the importance of mouthguards. While they are easily available, t<strong>he most effective ones will be customized to fit the exact shape of your mouth.<\/strong>\u00a0Whether you\u2019re a point guard on the varsity team or you\u2019re a weekend warrior,\u00a0<strong>speak to your family dentist about what type of mouthguard would be right for you.<\/strong>\u00a0<em>Dental Express offers dental care for the entire family, including\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thedentalexpress.com\/services\/orthodontic-options\/clearcorrect-san-diego-ca\">SmileCorrect<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thedentalexpress.com\/services\/restorative-and-implant\/dental-implants-san-diego-ca\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">teeth implants san diego<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thedentalexpress.com\/emergency-dental-care\">emergency dental care<\/a>\u00a0and maintenance services. Our practice features compassionate care coupled with state-of-the-art dentistry at four convenient locations in San Diego: Downtown, Point Loma, Clairemont and Santee. Contact us to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thedentalexpress.com\/schedule-online\">schedule an appointment<\/a>\u00a0today.<\/em><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>Sources:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ada.org\/en\/member-center\/oral-health-topics\/mouthguards\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">American Dental Association.<\/a>\u00a0\u201cMouthguards.\u201d Online.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ada.org\/en\/press-room\/news-releases\/2013-archive\/april\/play-it-safe-prevent-facial-injuries-with-simple-s\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">American Dental Association.<\/a>\u00a0\u201cPlay It Safe: Prevent Facial Injuries with Simple Sports Safety Precautions.\u201d Online. American Dental Association. \u201cDo You Need a Mouthguard?\u201d Online.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/cdn2.hubspot.net\/hub\/212277\/file-1272530225-pdf\/docs\/2007_basketball_study.pdf?t=1471538917106\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Incident Journal of the American Dental Association.\u00a0<\/a>Online. Knowlton, Rick, DMD, MAGD, et. al. \u201cSports-Related Dental Injuries and Sports Dentistry.\u201d Online. Petruska, Susan, DMD, AACD and Jesisca Forestier. \u201cDental Injfuires from Sports Trauma: Review and Case Study.\u201d Journal of<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thedentalexpress.com\/services\/cosmetic-dentistry\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Cosmetic Dentistry<\/a>.\u201d Schonbrun, Zach. \u201cN.C.A.A. Players Ignore Advice on Mouth Guards, Often at Their Own Peril.\u201d\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2014\/03\/30\/sports\/ncaabasketball\/ncaa-players-ignore-advice-on-mouth-guards-often-at-their-own-peril.html?_r=0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">New York Times.<\/a>\u00a0Online.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The 5 Riskiest Sports for Your Teeth: Every sports fan has seen a favorite athlete take a serious tumble, receive an elbow in the face or get smacked with a baseball. While it\u2019s one thing to see these unfortunate incidents play out on ESPN, it\u2019s a different matter when you, your son or your daughter [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thedentalexpress.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/848"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thedentalexpress.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thedentalexpress.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thedentalexpress.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thedentalexpress.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=848"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.thedentalexpress.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/848\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4958,"href":"https:\/\/www.thedentalexpress.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/848\/revisions\/4958"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thedentalexpress.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=848"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thedentalexpress.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=848"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thedentalexpress.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=848"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}