Facial Protection here at Roos Orthodontics is very important to us and we want you to be aware of the precautions that should be taken on a day to day basis when it comes to your mouth and facial safety. Athletes have a 33-56% chance of receiving an orofacial injury to the mouth or face. The proper personal protective gear should be used depending on what activity you are doing.

As the weather is getting warmer and kids are spending more of their spare time outdoors kicking around the ball, which we love to see, the risk becomes higher for facial injuries therefore taking the extra precautions are a must. According to an article by Johns Hopkins, more than 3.5 million kids under the age of 15 are hurt every year participating in sports or recreational activities.

Wearing a helmet can protect your head and save your life in a variety of situations from playing football to riding a bike.  According to the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, helmets reduce the risk of various head injuries by as much as 85 percent. Even if a helmet law doesn’t exist where you live it is important to abide by the cautious standards and wear a helmet. When playing football most of the time there is a mouth guard attached to the helmet which will protect your teeth if you were to come in contact with someone.

Mouth guards are designed to guard and protect the teeth and mouth. A mouth guard can prevent teeth from being chipped, broken or knocked out. Properly fitted mouth guards can even protect the bone and tissues around the teeth and jaw, and lower the chance of concussions.

Mouth guards are especially important if you have braces on to be able to protect your mouth and lips from injury in contact sports. Here at Roos Orthodontics, we provide a mouth guard for any patient that is in braces to help protect against injury especially for those in contact sports such as football, soccer, lacrosse, wrestling and basketball.  We use the Shock Doctor brand because of their comfort, flexibility, and they make mouth guards designed especially for patients with braces.

We are here to help out if you are in need of a mouth guard for your sports and activities. Remember facial protection is very important to the safety of us and our children.