e.s.i.'s Dr. K on Mouth Guards
e.s.i.'s Dr. K on Mouth Guards
By The Wave Agency
Mouth guards are an important aspect of many contact sports that allow players to keep their teeth in a row in the case of accidents or when force is applied to the facial area. But the quality of many mouth guards can often be put into question. This is certainly true of e.s.i.’s Dr. Kilimitzoglou.
When writing of his sons’ store-bought mouth guards, Dr. K had this to say, “Mouth guards are mandatory in the league and their first ones were store bought, boil and bite. They were not well adapted on the teeth and gums, they made them gag and the only way to keep them in was to constantly bite on them.”
While it is true that athletic mouth guards prevent injuries, particularly jaw-based injuries and tooth trauma, the “boil and bite '' style mouth guards can often cause discomfort after long-term use. There is a much more clear benefit to custom-made mouth guards, as they can fit perfectly within the mouth without additional pain or soreness to an athlete’s jaw.
“When trying to customize a boil and bite guard, we don’t bite down evenly and one area is always thinner than the other,” writes Dr. K. “The thinner part will not provide adequate protection and the cusps of those teeth are more prone to fracturing.”
While mouth guards are always necessary, it is the quality of mouth guards that may be necessary to manage when it comes to the future of sports. According to prominent research from the Academy of General Dentistry in 2014, those who use simple, store-bought mouth guards are at nearly double the risk of brain injury than those with custom mouth guards. This research may be alarming to those who believed store-bought mouth guards to be all that was necessary for jaw and concussion prevention.
“It is especially important that young players have maximum protection against these horrible injuries. Some disadvantages of custom appliances are that they take two visits to be fabricated and they are more expensive.”
This expense can lead to many not choosing to work through the process of creating their own custom mouth guards. This is especially true because younger children are always growing, and they will need new custom mouth guards eventually. Still, the benefits of a uniform thickness custom-made for an individual’s set of teeth should not be ignored.
“With literally hundreds of different styles, colors and designs, the possibilities of decorating and customizing these important pieces of protective equipment are endless … So, play hard, play safe, and PLAY BALL!”
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