Getting hurt as an athlete is no longer a rite of passage. As we’ve become aware that sports injuries lead to serious long-term health issues, the command to “buck up” and get back into the game has become a relic of the past.
According to the American Dental Assistants’ Association, approximately 15 million Americans experience some type of sports-related dental injury each year. About 10 percent of players will end up with a dental or facial injury in any given athletic season. Here are the top 3 sports related dental injuries.
#1 Cracked Teeth
When an athlete takes a blow to the face, it could result in a cracked or fractured tooth.
If a tooth shows longitudinal cracks or cracks that appear across the tooth, it might only have what dental professionals call “craze lines.” These are superficial cracks in the enamel and aren’t high risk for dental health. However, if a tooth’s crack or split begins at the tooth’s crown and extends downward, it’s a bona fide cracked tooth.
With a cracked tooth, you might experience such symptoms as:
- Sharp pain when you bite down.
- Tooth pain that comes and goes but isn’t always present.
- Pain while eating and drinking, especially when you consume hot or cold foods.
- The loss of a section of the tooth’s outer enamel shell can expose the subsequent layers of your tooth.
The layers below the enamel are a hard layer called the dentin followed by soft tissue known as the pulp (the location of your tooth’s nerves and blood vessels), according to the American Association of Endodontics (AAE).
Because a cracked tooth isn’t always visible to the naked eye, you might have one and not experience any pain. Only during your next dental checkup will the damage be discovered. (Another reason regular dentist visits are essential.)
If the crack is a vertical fracture that doesn’t extend beyond the visible part of your tooth, it usually won’t cause you to lose a section of your tooth and expose the tooth pulp.
But, if the crack extends beyond the gumline, it could affect the cusp, the tooth’s pointed tips. This might be a cuspal fracture, requiring a tooth extraction or a root canal to avoid bacterial infection.
#2 Fractured Roots
If an athlete receives a blow at a certain angle, it might cause a fractured root. Instead of a crack starting at the top of the chewing surface and moving to the root, a fractured root begins at the root level and works its way to the tooth’s visible surface.
Because these fractures are often invisible, you might only discover the problem when an infection develops. The severity of this type of tooth injury depends on the location of the fracture along the root.
The sooner a patient with a root fracture receives root canal therapy (also known as endodontic treatment) to prevent infection in the pulp, the less likely they are to experience necrosis that leads to tooth loss.
#3 Tooth Intrusion
Sports injuries are usually associated with teeth getting knocked out, but some injuries can drive teeth back into the jawbone.
This type of trauma is called an intrusion. It’s more common in “baby teeth” because a child’s alveolar bones – which hold the tooth sockets – are not as hard as an adult’s. However, it can happen to athletes of all ages, and tooth trauma healing time can put you out of action for a long time.
Some of the complications arising from tooth intrusion include:
- Destruction of the tooth pulp, either by it “dying” (necrosis) or being damaged beyond recovery during the injury incident
- Root resorption, a shortening of the roots
- Ankylosis, the fusion of the injured tooth’s root to the alveolar bone
How Can I Protect My Teeth While Playing Sports?
An ounce or more of prevention is worth it when it involves protecting your jaw and teeth. The cost of replacing a lost tooth is about 20 times more than the price of a custom-fitted mouthguard.
Fortunately, learning how to protect your teeth when playing a sport or participating in close-contact recreational activities isn’t as difficult as the frequency of these incidents suggests. In fact, the right gear like the following has kept more than 200,000 injuries from occurring annually.
#1 Mouthguards
The National Youth Sports Safety Foundation (NYSSF) estimates that players who don’t wear mouthguards are 60 times more likely to damage their teeth during competition.
So, a mouthguard is a must when you play any sport that involves bats, balls, sticks, or person-to-person contact.
A typical mouthguard covers the top teeth and is good for one athletic season. They’re designed to guard against cut lips, broken teeth, and other types of damage to the mouth.
There are three types of mouthguards:
- Stock mouthguards. This variety is ready to wear right out of the package. Though it’s inexpensive, it might not fit very well nor be comfortable.
- Boil-and-bite mouthguards. This type of guard is precisely as it sounds. Boil a preformed piece of plastic and then bite into it for a customized fit. You can find boil-and-bite mouthguards at most sporting goods stores.
- Custom-made mouthguards. A sports dentist makes this type right in the office or in a dental lab. It’s specifically designed for your mouth by using an impression of your teeth. From there, the mouthguard is crafted to fit over the impression.
Considering the customization and effort involved to fabricate these mouthguards, they are the most expensive. However, custom mouthguards provide the best fit and protection.
#2 Helmets
Always wear a helmet to protect your head when cycling, skating, or skiing. Remember to choose the right kind for the sport for optimal protection. A mouthguard is also a good idea, as a helmet alone won’t shield your teeth.
Maintaining oral health as an athlete is essential. While modern dentistry can now repair most tooth injuries sustained while playing a sport, these types of injuries can take their toll just like any muscle or bone injuries that can occur. Consult with your dentist when your child starts playing sports so that they can offer you guidance on the choice of mouthguards and offer any other protective measures they think can help protect against injury.