Mouth Guards are a Smart Play

Though most parents or caregivers would never send a child to school without the proper school supplies like pencils and paper, many ignore a very important back-to-school essential for children’s oral health and safety - a mouth guard.

Physical activity and education are imperative to overall health and well-being, but can also be potentially dangerous to dental health.

“But like any protective sporting equipment, wearing a mouth guard can help reduce injury and ensure a safer game.”

Sports-related dental injuries send about 600,000 youths to the emergency room each year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Mouth guards are an inexpensive, yet effective way to prevent dental disasters. By functioning as a shock absorber, it is estimated that mouth guards avert 200,000 oral injuries each year and can cut the risk of concussion by 50 percent. Oral injuries can include fractured teeth, neck injuries and even abrasions from braces.
While contact sports such as football, hockey and basketball are common sources for oral injury, non-contact sports such as gymnastics, volleyball and recreational physical activity also pose a threat.
Aside from causing a child undue trauma, treatment procedures can also be extremely expensive for parents. The National Youth Sports Foundation for Safety estimates the total cost of replacing a tooth lost in a sports injury can range from $5,000 to upward of $20,000 over a lifetime.
A mouth guard is a necessary piece of equipment for every athlete,Purchasing a protective mouth guard for your child and making sure they use it will reduce their risk of a traumatic accident. It is something no athlete should be without.Three Layer Design
Delta Dental of Michigan, Ohio and Indiana, with its affiliate in Tennessee, make up one of the largest dental plan administrators in the nation. In 2006, the enterprise paid more than $1.7 billion for dental care for more than 6.2 million enrollees. Offices are located in Okemos and Farmington Hills, Mich.; Columbus and Cleveland, Ohio; Indianapolis and Greenwood, Ind.; and Nashville, Knoxville and Memphis, Tenn.