In the recent times, preventive dentistry has emerged as the main focus of dentistry. Awareness among sportsmen and various international sport organizations has recognized the need of dentistry in sports. Prevention of such injuries can be achieved through proper patient education, diagnosis, treatment of existing dental problems & designing custom made mouthguards.

1. Sports Dentistry
Dr. Poorva Gharpure, Smile Care, Nashik
For more details visit
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2. Preventive Dentistry
In the recent times, preventive dentistry has emerged as
the main focus of dentistry. Awareness among sportsmen
and various international sport organizations has
recognized the need of dentistry in sports. Prevention of
such injuries can be achieved through proper patient
education, diagnosis, treatment of existing dental
problems & designing custom made mouthguards.
For more details visit
http://www.smilecareworld.com

3. For more details visit
http://www.smilecareworld.com
Types of Orofacial Injuries
Types of orofacial injuries commonly
observed
in athletes include injuries to the dentition,
namely, fractured or knocked out teeth, loosened
teeth or teeth forced out of position.
Injuries resulting in dislocation or fracture of
jaws may be incurred due to direct impact
on jaws.

4. For more details visit
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Contact sports like football, boxing,martial
arts,
hockey and non contact sports like baseball,
baseball, bicycle riding, soccer, wrestling,
racquetball, surfing and skateboarding should
be supplemented with protective appliances
like mouthguards.
Types of Orofacial Injuries

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Preventive solutions for Orofacial
Injuries can be enlisted as :
Regular check up for any undiagnosed
problem
that might cause an unexpected problem,
during athletic event.
Completion of any ongoing dental treatment.
Use of mouthguard under professional dental
guidance.

6. Mouthguards
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Mouthguards are readymade or custom made
devices
fabricated in a way to provide maximum coverage
over all teeth. Usually they are adapted over maxillary
teeth unless indicated on mandibular teeth.
Material used for mouthguard must have shock
absorbing properties. According to various
international organizations for sports dentistry,
material of choice for custom made mouthgaurds is
ethylene vinyl acetate.

7. Types of Athletic Mouthguards
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For more details visit
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Stock : Has no individual fitting and is least desirable; available at local
sports stores.
Boil & bite : individual fitting attempted by boiling material and adapting to
individual teeth and is less desirable; available at local sports stores. Uneven
distribution of material does not allow proper fit and protection.
Custom made : The most preferred type. Fabricated under proper guidance
of
a dentist, they are either made in dental clinic or sent by the dentist to the
dental lab for custom fabrication with proper guidelines. The advantage of a
custom made mouthguard is its fit, adapatability to individual speech
requirements, customized occlusion and no interference in breathing.

8. Custom made Mouthguards
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They are designed according to the sport played, age of
athlete and history of any previous trauma. Eg: Boxing
and martial arts need mouthguards to be made keeping
in mind maximum exchange of oxygen and adequate
airway maintenance in unexpected events like nasal
obstruction due to blow on nose. Custom made
mouthguards are further classified according to the
method of fabrication as :
Vaccum custom made by vaccum machines
Pressure laminated custom made by pressure machines.

9. Features of Mouthguards
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Shock absorbing concussive forces to lower jaw.
Protection against neck injury.
Distributing force of blow all over surrounding teeth & gums.
Adequate material thickness, maximum occlusal coverage.
A snugly fit customized mouthguard when in place causes
forward and downward movement of movement of the jaw,
opening the space between the glenoid fossa and condylar
head. Any impact to the lower jaw reduces the possibility of
direct impact of head of condyle to the glenoid fossa, thereby
decreasing impact and forces to the entire temporal region.

10. Maintenance for Mouthguards :
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Store in hard, perforated case.
Replace when signs of wearing out are evident.
Keep clean using toothbrush and water.
Never keep in warm place or in hot water.

11. Maintenance for Mouthguards :
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As a helmet will not hamper the ability to drive a bike, likewise
athletes should understand that oral protection by way of
properly fitted mouthguards will not hamper their ability to
perform. “Prevention is better than cure”, says an old adage.
This holds true for orofacial injuries in sport events. Damage due
to lack of proper measures may lead to a range of minor to major
events having a long lasting impact on patient’s oral as well as
general health. We at Smile Care share the responsibility of
limiting orofacial injuries for those sportspersons/athletes,
maximizing their potentials to excel as professionals.