ACTIVE KIDS NEED PROTECTED TEETH
PARSIPPANY, NJ (April 21, 2005)
- Need advice on sports equipment for your kids?
Ask your dentist.
It is estimated by the National
Youth Sports Safety Foundation that sports-related
injuries will result in the loss of about 5 million
teeth for U.S. youth this year. However, dentists
see many oral and facial injuries in athletes
that could have been prevented.
"Mouthguards are one of the
most effective pieces of protective equipment
in sports,"
says Dr. Scott Navarro, dental director, Delta
Dental of New Jersey.
In fact, according to the Academy
of General Dentistry, more than 200,000 oral
injuries are prevented each year by athletes
using mouthguards. Without protection, it's estimated
that athletes' teeth are 60 times more susceptible
to damage.
Mouthguards can range anywhere
from five to 300 dollars - a bargain when you
consider the rehabilitation costs for a single
knocked-out tooth.
There are three basic types of
mouth protection available. They include stock
or ready-to-wear mouthguards, boil-and-bite mouthguards,
and custom-made mouthguards.
Stock mouthguards are purchased "off
the shelf" and are used without any modifications
or forming to the mouth. Boil-and-bite mouthguards
are also purchased "off the shelf," however,
they are then heated and placed in the mouth
before use in order for them to form to the teeth
and mouth. Custom-made mouthguards are created
from molds taken of athletes' teeth. Any dentist
can provide more information about custom-made
and other types of mouthguards.
"Custom-made mouthguards provide
the highest degree of comfort, protection and
durability, but even the lowest-end mouthguard
is better than nothing,"
said Navarro.
About Delta Dental of New Jersey, Inc.
Delta Dental of New Jersey, Inc., is New Jersey’s
and Connecticut's leading dental benefits carrier,
providing coverage to more than one million people
through contracts with employers in New Jersey
and Connecticut. The Delta Dental Plan system
offers seamless dental benefits administration
for employer groups throughout the country and
the largest network of credentialed dentists
in the nation. For more information visit us
on the Web at www.deltadentalnj.com.
