A lot of athletes know that if there’s anything more vulnerable to injury in contact sports, it has to be the teeth. We get a lot of news of an athlete getting a tooth knocked off during a boxing match or a set of teeth chipped off as a basketball player lands face-first on the hardcourt.

We have done numerous articles on preventive measures against tooth injury. But more so do we realize that athletes have the tendency to be foolhardy when it comes to being prepared for casual sporting events. It’s not all the time we see a basketball player or a boxer sporting a mouthpiece during adrenaline-fueled games. There will be times where an injury gets to you when you least expect it. A professional athlete will have to deal with the consequences and accept the fact that fallen teeth are never coming, especially if the gums have been severely damaged by an injury. To prevent grievous instances like these, WEAR A MOUTHGUARD AT ALL TIMES.

Here are the facts:

1.)    Treatment and operation for sports-related tooth injuries usually cost more than a professionally-designed mouth guard. And we’re only talking about one tooth. An injury sustained from a contact sport can be five times worse than a face-first slip on the floor. Medical bills arising from the correction of orofacial injuries may cost more than $20,000.

2.)    The price of a single tooth implant can peak to as much as $5,000 if you don’t have dental insurance – which is likely for amateur athletes.

3.)    The lifetime maintenance costs of getting a tooth implant may amount to as much as $20,000 if the implant has only been partially successful. Subsequent repair costs are also imminent, since a recovered athlete will eventually return to the sport that knocked his teeth out. People who have implants are also at the risk of getting a periodontal disease.

4.)    Poorly-made stock mouthguards may lodge into your trachea if you unconsciously swallow them after being knocked out. This may lead to further complications and even death.

5.)    Having a tooth knocked out doesn’t just end there. Depending on the facial impact of the sustained blow, facial reconstruction will most likely be the predominant source of expenses, especially if the oral cavity has also been disfigured.

6.)    The National Youth Sports Foundation has stated getting a tooth injury is 60 times more likely if an athlete is not wearing a mouthguard during a game.

7.)    It is extremely advisable that even pre-teens and teenagers should be fitted for professional mouthguards if they engage in contact sports at a young age.

8.)    Repeated blows on the same portion of the mouth will likely have an even more devastating effect on the teeth situated in that area.

9.)    The mind is subconsciously more adept in avoiding incoming blows to the face/other parts of the body when the athlete wears a mouthguard.

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