5 Expert Tips to Protect Your Child's Teeth During Sports

A baseball pitch with bad aim. Basketball players tussling for a loose ball. A wild slap shot of a hockey puck. If you have kids in sports, you know these are just a few causes of potential mouth injury. And they're not rare occurrences: Mouth trauma is the most common type of injury sustained while playing sports.¹

Protecting your child's teeth while playing both contact and non-contact sports is essential to not only safeguard their smile but to prevent dental problems, costly emergency treatments and long-term damage from a mouth injury.²

From choosing the right protective gear to fostering good oral hygiene habits, read on for tips to create a winning strategy to protect your child's dental health on and off the field.

1. Wear a Mouthguard

Research has shown that athletes who do not wear a mouthguard are 60 times more likely to suffer a mouth injury.³ Yet the American Association of Orthodontists found that 67% of parents don't insist their child wear a mouthguard during organized sports if it's not required.³ Without protection, your athlete might have a tooth knocked out, suffer a cracked tooth that requires a root canal, or experience nerve damage, infection, tooth discoloration or misalignment that could follow them into adulthood.⁴

Mouthguards are typically required to participate in high-velocity and high-collision sports, such as football, hockey, lacrosse and boxing. However, parents should consider mouthguards for non- or limited-contact sports, too, including gymnastics, skating or baseball, as any athlete can experience a mouth injury.¹

Types of mouthguards:

There are three types of mouthguards: custom, boil and bite and stock.⁵

• Custom-made: Created by your dental or orthodontic professional using a mold of your child's teeth, these mouthguards are more expensive but offer excellent protection based on a perfect fit to your child's mouth.⁵
• Boil and bite: Available at sporting goods stores, drugstores or online, these mouthguards are softened (boiled) then inserted into your child's mouth so it can conform to their bite.⁵
• Stock: These are pre-molded mouthguards that come in a variety of sizes and are generally available at any sporting goods store. Though inexpensive, this option can be ill-fitting and bulky, making breathing and talking difficult.⁵

If your child wears braces, a mouthguard is especially important, as it will provide a barrier to protect the inside of the lips and cheeks in the event of a high-velocity strike to the face. It will also protect the orthodontic hardware or other appliances affixed to your child's teeth.⁵

2. Choose the Right Helmet

Helmets improve overall safety, but those equipped with a protective face shield or mask not only safeguard your child's head and neck, but can absorb impact from falls or hits that might otherwise break a tooth or damage your child's jaw. A helmet can lessen the impact sustained from a high-velocity strike that might cause a child to bite down hard enough to chip their teeth, even if wearing a mouthguard.⁶

3. Hydrate With Water

Hydration during high-intensity sports is a priority, but dental experts recommend your child quench their thirst with water rather than sugary sports drinks.⁷

Naturally occurring bacteria in the mouth will use the sugar found in most sports drinks to produce an acid that can damage tooth enamel, increasing your child's chance of developing gum disease and cavities over time.⁷

If choosing a sports drink, opt for one that's unsweetened or low in sugar, and includes potassium and electrolytes to protect your child's teeth while supporting muscle recovery.

4. Practice Good Dental Hygiene

Good daily dental habits are essential for building strong teeth and gums. Teeth that have been weakened with fillings or compromised by decay are more likely to be damaged by a sports injury than healthy teeth.⁷

At a minimum, brush twice per day for at least two minutes each time, and floss once a day, followed by an ADA-approved mouth rinse.⁷

Teach your child to keep their mouthguard clean and free from bacteria, too, by rinsing after each use or brushing it with a toothbrush and toothpaste. Have your child clean their mouthguard regularly in cool, soapy water and rinse thoroughly, then store in a hard container with air holes to discourage bacterial growth.⁵

5. Get Regular Dental Checkups

Getting checkups from your dental care provider for your child every six months can help identify and treat any issues early before they become a bigger concern. Have your dentist examine your child's mouthguard for signs of wear and tear and to ensure it still fits properly. Children and teens may need to replace mouthguards more frequently as they grow and their mouths change in size.⁵

What to Do If Your Child Loses a Tooth

If your child loses a tooth while playing sports, first, stay calm. Hold the tooth by the crown, not the root, and rinse it off. You can then attempt to gently insert the tooth back in the hole. If that's not possible, place the tooth in a glass of milk to keep it moist. Use a cold compress on your child's mouth to control the bleeding and call your dentist immediately to make an emergency appointment.⁴

Taking steps to emphasize the importance of safety and proper safety techniques to your athlete — whatever sport they play — can help avoid unnecessary dental injuries and keep them safe on and off the field.

Dental Financing With the CareCredit Credit Card

Regular dental checkups are important to help prevent, identify and treat dental problems before they become more advanced. The CareCredit credit card can help you pay for dental exams, cosmetic dental procedures and other costs that insurance doesn't cover — to help you keep your pearly whites bright and healthy.* Use our Acceptance Locator to find a dentist near you that accepts CareCredit. Make the most of your wellness journey by downloading the CareCredit Mobile App. You can find a provider on the go, manage your CareCredit account and easily access the Well U blog for more great articles, podcasts and videos.

In addition to dental care, you can also use your CareCredit credit card for pet care, cosmetic, vision, hearing, health systems, dermatology, pharmacy purchases, spa treatments and so much more within the CareCredit network. How will you invest in your health and wellness next?

Author Bio

Anne-Marie Kennedy is a freelance writer with more than 20 years of experience covering health and wellness, personal finance and real estate/investing.