The start of the new school year also brings the start of the fall sports season — and winter sports will be practicing before you know it.

If you have any athletes in your family, you want them to work hard and play safe. You understand that any sports bring some risk of injury, but the right equipment can protect against the most serious potential problems.

That’s also why custom-fitted athletic mouthguards should be a standard piece of equipment for anyone who plays high-impact sports. We can create these for you and your family as part of our general dentistry in The Woodlands, TX. Call 281-367-5900 to make an appointment at Smiles by Dr. Chai.

Get Ready To Play

We want you to have fun on the field, but we also want you to keep your winning smiles after the games are over. Wearing a mouthguard can greatly reduce your risk of broken or knocked-out teeth. In fact, athletes who don’t wear mouthguards are 60 times more likely to suffer dental injuries compared to athletes who do.

This is why the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, the American Dental Association, and other professional dental organizations recommend mouthguards for nearly all sports. High-impacts sports are any sport that could affect your joints. That includes your temporomandibular joints, or the joints that allow you to open and close your mouth. If you aren’t sure if you are playing a high-impact sport ask yourself these questions:

  • Does my sport involve physical contact with other athletes?
  • Does my sport involve a ball, puck, or other object to be hit, thrown, or caught?
  • Do you change speeds and/or direction as part of your sport?
  • Do you jump as part of your sport?

If you said yes to one or more of those questions, then you should be wearing a mouthguard.

Choose The Best Protection For Your Smile

We want you to have the best protection possible for your teeth. That’s why we encourage our patients to brush and floss daily, to visit us for routine dental cleanings and exams, and to wear custom-made mouthguards.

We know that you can get boil-and-bite mouthguards at many places. These will offer a level of protection, just as a seat belt can protect in your car or truck. The problem is that boil-and-bite mouthguards can be bulky. They can interfere with how you speak and how you breathe.

Custom mouthguards are more like a five-point harness used by a race driver. This provides better protection. These mouthguards also are smaller, which means you can breathe, speak, and even drink water without feeling like you need to remove them.

Be Ready For Your Picture

When you take the field or the court, we want you to preserve your beautiful smile. Part of that process is wearing a custom-fitted athletic mouthguard for all practices and games. Get yours at our office in The Woodlands. Call 281-367-5900 or contact Smiles by Dr. Chai by filling out our online to request an appointment.