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.
