Many of our patients play sports while undergoing orthodontic treatment and braces safety is a top concern. We’ve got your back! Let’s talk about how to protect your braces so you can stay in the game and keep your smile healthy.
Protecting Your Braces during Sports
Braces safety while playing sports doesn’t have to be complicated! If you play sports while undergoing orthodontic treatment, talk with your orthodontist about the type of sport you play and the safety gear you currently wear such as a helmet or faceguard. Your orthodontist might simply recommend adding a mouthguard to help protect your braces and the inside of your cheeks and lips from getting cut or injured by your braces in case of impact.
A mouthguard also works to cushion your teeth and jaw during impact or falling, which can help protect you from broken or chipped teeth, jaw injuries, and even brain injuries, as well. This is why mouthguards are actually recommended by dentists for many sports, whether you have braces or not.
Other Risks for Your Braces
It’s also important to be mindful of other common risks for your braces when you’re participating in sports to help minimize the chance that you’ll get sidelined and miss out when it matters most!
For example, it’s crucial to keep up your energy while playing sports, and eating a handful of snacks that aren’t braces-friendly might seem like a minor risk, but it has the potential to sideline you if a bracket or wire comes loose or breaks. So make sure to always follow your orthodontist’s recommendations for braces safety, even when you’re extra-focused on the game!
What to Do in an Emergency
Taking proper precautions is important, but unfortunately loose wires or brackets and injuries still happen to the best of us sometimes. When emergencies happen, it’s important to know how to recognize what a braces emergency looks like and what to do in case of one.
If you’ve experienced impact or trauma to your face, jaw, or head, it’s always a good idea to get things checked out by an orthodontist and a doctor as soon as possible. If you notice a wire or bracket is loose or broken, stop playing immediately, tell your coach, and call your orthodontist! Continuing to play could put you at risk of greater injury as well as delay your orthodontic treatment plan.
As always, make sure your orthdontist’s phone number is always easy to access by programing it into your phone and giving it to your coach, school nurse, team medical provider, or a chaperone, to ensure that your orthodontist can be reached right away if there is an emergency.
Call our Indianapolis, IN, orthodontics office, to make an appointment with a dentist who may be able to help you find out more about this topic, and improve your oral health.