Many of our patients are involved in sports, and Dr. Matthew Croco thought it would be a good time to remind our young athletes wearing braces to take care of both their mouth and appliances while participating in contact and non-contact sports.
More than half of the seven million sports and recreation-related injuries that occur each year are sustained by youth between ages 5 and 24. Sixty-seven percent of parents say their child does not wear a mouth guard, yet, 70 percent say their biggest fear when their child plays is that they will get hurt. Despite the risks, many kids are still not wearing mouth guards and facial protection during games and practices.
Many people think a mouth guard is effective just to protect your teeth. But research has shown mouth guards can also reduce lower jaw impact that causes concussions and other dental injuries. Dr. Croco suggests his patients all wear mouth guards if there is any chance they could be hit in the mouth. At Croco Orthodontics we give our patients mouth guards while they are in treatmentn and do not charge extra for them. We also offer custom fit mouth guards to patients after they have had their braces removed and treatment is complete.
We hope this helps you remember to always wear a mouth guard and other forms of protective gear when participating in sports. We encourage you to give us a call if you have any questions about the mouth guard options at our office, or ask us on Facebook!
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