It’s understandable that you want to do everything you can to protect your child’s mouth and braces, so you may be reluctant to allow them to continue playing sports. However, we all know that staying healthy is important! You shouldn’t let a fear of accidents prevent your child from receiving the physical and social benefits of playing sports with friends while he or she has braces. Instead, you should be aware of the potential risks associated with physical activity, and do your best to adjust your child’s sporting habits to best fit his or her new life with braces. Here are our best tips!
Safe Sports
As the official orthodontist of D.C. United soccer team, Tisseront Orthodontics strongly believes that any sport can safely coexist with orthodontics. Generally, any sport or other activity that you allowed your child to engage in before he or she got braces will still be safe. However, certain precautions should be taken to make sure that no damage will occur to the appliance or to your child’s teeth. Certain sports, such as football, boxing, and soccer, require extra attention. For these contact sports, in particular, your child should strongly consider wearing a mouthguard. Keep reading for our best tips on finding and wearing appropriate protection!
Protection
While your child plays sports, it is recommended that he or she wears an orthodontic mouthguard. Orthodontic mouthguards are made specifically for people with braces, so they protect the appliance better than standard mouthguards. Dr. Tisseront is happy to discuss options with you to ensure that your child gets the right protection. A mouthguard is very important to protect your child’s teeth and make sure that the progress made by the braces isn’t reversed by one accident. Wearing a mouthguard has other benefits, as well! In addition to protecting your teeth and appliance, a mouthguard can help safeguard against concussions by stabilizing the mouth.
Awareness
Our final tip for continuing to stay active in sports and other forms of exercise with braces is to make sure that everyone involved is aware of the risks. This means reminding your child to be mindful of his or her actions while on the field and letting coaches know that your child is undergoing orthodontic treatment. Remember, as long as your child wears a mouthguard and takes precautions, there is no reason that braces should stop him or her from continuing to play the sports he or she loves!
Accidents do happen, of course, and if something occurs that damages your child’s orthodontic appliance or teeth while he or she is playing sports, don’t panic. In non-urgent emergencies, contact your orthodontist to find out the next steps. Otherwise, if you have any questions about your child’s new life with braces and the place sports can play in it, don’t hesitate to contact your trusted orthodontist at Tisseront Orthodontics to learn more.
