Sports Mouth Guards – Prevent and Protect

Hiller Orthodontics has provided custom mouth guards to the Belmont-Gilford Hockey Team for the 2017 season.

Dr. Hiller and his team at Hiller Orthodontics have proudly supported many local youth sports teams over the years.  How you might ask? By helping them protect one of their most valuable possessions…their mouths!

The primary function of mouth guards is to protect the teeth from being chipped, fractured, or knocked out as a result of a blow to the face, something that is fairly common in both hockey and football. Protecting the teeth, in turn, protects the lips and cheeks from lacerations due to chipped or broken teeth.  It is oftentimes instinctive to bite down before an impact and a mouth guard gives a player something to bite into.

The National Youth Sports Foundation for Safety reports dental injuries as the most common type of orofacial injury sustained during sports participation. Dr. Hiller and his team create custom mouth guards that may reduce the effects of concussion as well as dental injuries. The types of dental injuries that can occur without the use of a mouth guard include chipped or broken teeth, fractured crowns or bridgework, lip and cheek injuries, root damage to the teeth, fractured jaws, and concussions.

Mouth guards are especially important for those wearing braces, which are sharp and can cause severe lacerations on the lips and inside of the mouth in the event of a collision. An impact against braces can even cause permanent dental injuries or damage to the braces.

Dr. Hiller has long supported the use of mouth guards in sports. He has worked hard to educate the public of the importance of their use. In fact, he was an integral part of getting a mandatory rule passed through the NH Interscholastic Athletic Association (NHIAA) Sports Medicine Committee in the late 1990’s that required all basketball and soccer players to wear mouth protection. This rule still stands today and numerous trips to the hospital and emergency dental visits have been avoided!

We invite you and your athlete to schedule an appointment today for a custom mouth guard fitting! Let’s face it, prevention is a lot less expensive and painful than treating your injuries. Save that smile!