Protect Your Teeth When Practicing Winter Sports

Keeping your teeth and gums in top shape while your participate in winter sports and activities can be tough, especially if you are participating in high contact or dangerous sports. To help to prevent oral injury, your dentist may recommend the use of a mouth guard while participating in winter sports and activities.

Winter Sports That May be Harmful for Your Smile

• Sledding – although sledding is not technically considered to be a high contact sport, there is still a chance that you could crash off the sled or hit another sledder, resulting in injuries. For this activity, it is a great idea to keep your teeth protected with a mouth guard.
• Snowboarding & Skiing – these sports come with a high probability of falls, possibly resulting in injuries especially if speed or other skiiers are involved. Snowboarders and skiiers would be smart to wear a mouth guard, as these winter sports tend to have a high incidence of injuries.
• Basketball – Basketball is a high-contact sport, and is a common sport during the winter months. This sport comes with a high risk of tooth injury. While playing, the ball; an elbow; or a knee could hit your mouth with such force that it causes an injury. It is highly encouraged to wear a mouth guard while playing.
• Wrestling – wrestling is another high contact sport often played throughout the winter in which we frequently see mouth injuries. Because of the close proximity between opponents, there is a good chance that body parts could end up injuring the mouth. For best protection, wear a mouth guard.
• Hockey – Hockey is a very high-contact winter sport, and frequently opponents slam into each other. This type of play is viable to severely harm a smile if the players are not careful. The puck also poses a threat to your smile, as it frequently flies through the air and may hit you. A mouth guard will help to protect your teeth from these injuries.

If you can get into the habit of protecting your smile with a mouth guard, you should be able to confidently play the above winter sports without worry. For more information on sports mouth guards, talk to your dentist.