As Football Games Take Place Across the Country, Dental Implants Can Restore Knock Out Teeth

Fall is here and with it comes fall sports and the need for dental implants.  According to the American Dental Association, sports injuries account for 13 to 39 percent of dental injuries leading to tooth loss. Parents should consider this when putting their kids in sports and look for ways to keep their teeth safe.  When teeth do fall out, many athletes are turning to implants as a permanent solution but this is normally a solution for adults, not children.

In order to keep kids safe, we recommend starting with ongoing preventative care.  By brushing and flossing their teeth twice a day and having their teeth professionally cleaned twice a year, their teeth will be stronger and less susceptible to becoming injured during an accident.  Brushing with fluoride toothpaste and getting a fluoride treatment at the dentist can also help.  In addition, to ongoing preventative care, we recommend that athletes of all ages wear a customized mouth guard in order to protect their teeth.

Football injuries may be significant but fewer football players lose teeth as a result of the sport because they wear mouth guards and a protective helmet. It is actually more common for basketball players to need dental implants than football players.  The University of California reviewed accident records from their athletic department in order to find out which sports had the highest likelihood of producing an oral injury.  It turns out that 11 out of every 100 basketball players reported a dental injury.  This could mean tooth loss, a cracked tooth, etc.  Since basketball players are not required to wear a mouth guard and do not have any protective face gear, these statistics make sense.  As a parent, if your child plays basketball you should consider the mouth guard as their only real means of protection.

Why Dental Implants Are So Popular

During the procedure, we implant a metal post under the gums and secure it to the jawbone.  Over time, the post and bone will fuse together and create a new root system.  It can take several months for this process to complete but it makes the implants incredibly secure and durable.  The new synthetic tooth is secured to the metal post, and once the procedure is complete, it won’t become loose while playing sports or eating.  The process makes implants as sturdy as a natural tooth would be.  This is significant since for athletes and adults with active lifestyles, slowing down is not an option.  It is important to be able to function like normal without thinking about a missing tooth, and this is the best option for doing so.

Once installed, people can take care of dental implants just like they would a natural tooth.  Brushing and flossing throughout the day along with regular teeth cleanings are all that is needed to keep teeth in good shape.  The healthier the mouth is, the stronger teeth will be overall so remember to schedule your teeth cleaning today.

An Orthodontist Can Do More Than Give You Braces

If you need to see an orthodontist, you are in good company.  Millions of children and adults need to straighten their teeth and work with a professional in order to do so.  Having straight teeth is important for more than your appearance.  While it can give you a gorgeous smile, straight teeth are also less likely to become infected and are easier to keep clean and white.  

Some people need to have their teeth moved because they are experiencing jaw and face pain.  When the bite is misaligned, it can produce symptoms that are similar to TMJ and can be painful.  The only way to deal with this issue is to have your bite corrected and moved into place so that the front teeth sit securely over the top of the back teeth and that your molars are where they should be when relaxing and eating.  

Orthodontics can help by moving teeth into place and aligning a person’s bite. Most people think of an orthodontist as someone who works with braces only. Braces are an excellent way to straighten and move teeth, so this is a common procedure.  There are, however, other oral health issues that are typically not addressed with braces, but still require treatment by a professional orthodontist.  

These procedures include:

• Spacers.  Fixed spacers can be used to hold a place for an adult tooth to come in.  This is frequently used when a child loses a baby tooth prematurely and, as a result, the pallet starts to move and overcrowding takes place.  Permanent teeth can start to come in behind other teeth as a result of this problem, making a spacer an important solution for keeping room in the mouth for adult teeth to come in properly. 
• Invisalign ®.  Those that want straight teeth without wearing braces can use Invisalign® or another type of aligner to move their teeth into place.  This is basically a series of clear retainers that surround the mouth and move the teeth slowly into place with new aligners being worn every couple of weeks. 
• Jaw repositioning appliances.  This is a removable device that is worn on the upper or lower jaw and ensures that the jaw stays in position.  It is used to train the jaw to close a certain way. 
• Expanders.  Those that need to expand their pallet may need to wear one of these devices.  It is used by itself and in conjunction with braces in order to open the pallet enough for the teeth to fit in place without overcrowding. 
• Retainers.  A removable retainer is often required after braces are taken off in order to keep teeth from moving back into their old position.  They can also be used to help move teeth overtime. Some children wear a modified retainer to help stop thumb sucking. 

These are only a few of the ways that an orthodontist can help to straighten teeth, address oral health problems, and prevent jaw and face pain.  To learn more, schedule a consultation.