Whether you’re hitting the snowy slopes or trying new tricks on the ice, you can’t help but smile as you embrace the adrenaline-fueled thrill of winter sports. The question is, how can you keep your smile intact in the most dangerous of sports?
Research shows that nearly 50% of injuries to the head that are sustained in recreational sports occur during activities like skating.
The good news? Although sports can be dangerous for your head, including your teeth, you can take steps to protect your teeth during winter sports.
Here’s a rundown on the best ways to safeguard your pearly whites when playing sports in the winter.
Let’s dig in!
Mouth Guards for Winter Sports
One of the best ways to protect your teeth during winter sports is to wear a mouth guard.
Ready-made mouth guards are available in sporting goods stores and drugstores. However, because they come in pre-formed sizes, you might not find them to be comfortable. For this reason, you may want to get a custom-made guard for your teeth instead.
Custom-made guards are designed based on detailed impressions of patients’ teeth. Then, dental laboratories or your dental offices will then make mouth guards based on these impressions.
Custom appliances are especially important for those who wear braces, as properly fitting mouth guards will help prevent injuries to their mouths and braces. Additionally, custom guards offer the benefit of feeling and fitting better than store-bought masks. They are also more durable.
Winter Sport Helmets
In addition to wearing a mouth guard, consider donning a helmet if you’re engaging in a high-impact winter sport like hockey.
Helmets can protect your head and teeth, especially when they have faceguards or masks. That’s because a faceguard is designed to prevent your face from experiencing a direct impact. This can easily occur from a hockey stick.
Still, even if your helmet doesn’t have a mask, it can keep your gnashers safer while preventing face and head injuries.
Great Winter Dental Hygiene
Yet another way to protect your teeth while you play winter sports is to simply practice great dental hygiene.
If your pearly whites are unhealthy — for example, they are plagued by gum disease — they are less likely to withstand any blows they receive during sports activities. This is why brushing twice daily and flossing at least once daily is important.
Be sure to also schedule your winter dental appointment to check for and address any dental problems, like cavities, before they become bigger issues.
A dentist can even look for and treat any tooth fractures you may have received while playing sports without realizing it.
How We Can Help
At Smile Logic, we take pride in offering gentle, quality, and affordable dental services, including creating custom mouth guards and performing regular dental exams and cleanings.
For your convenience, we accept every major dental insurance plan, ranging from Aetna to Metlife. In addition, we take pride in providing personalized care in a no-pressure environment.
Get in touch with us to learn more about how we can help you to protect your teeth when playing winter sports, and schedule an appointment with us today!
SmileLogic, Inc. has been serving Colorado with first-class dental hygiene services for over 15 years.