In this world of ever-increasing competitive levels in youth sports, the need for athletic mouthguards has never been greater.

Here’s an excerpt from the American Dental Association (ADA) website, mouthhealthy.org:

When Should You Wear a Mouthguard?
When it comes to protecting your mouth, a mouthguard is an essential piece of athletic gear that should be part of your standard equipment from an early age.

While collision and contact sports, such as boxing, are higher-risk sports for the mouth, any athlete may experience a dental injury in non-contact activities too, such as gymnastics and skating.

That is so true! Here at Pike Lake Dental, we create custom athletic mouthguards in less than a day. Our mouthguards are fabricated from an impression taken of a patient’s mouth, so they are a perfect fit every time. Not only does a custom athletic mouthguard stay in place better, they are less likely to come flying out of an athlete’s mouth than the one-size-fits-all drugstore mouthguards. There’s no heating the mouthguard up on the stove or microwave, trying to form the plastic to your child’s mouth. For just a little more than you’d pay at the store, we can make your athlete a perfectly fitted mouthguard, without the hassle.

We offer a wide selection of colors that are sure to coordinate with your team’s colors. Or just pick a favorite color. There are so many choices!

As a parent of three athletes, I have seen first hand the benefits of athletic mouthguards. My son plays both basketball and soccer. He has suffered concussions on the basketball court and broken bones on the soccer field. This past year, his school’s basketball coach mentioned mouthguards at the pre-season parent meeting. The parents unanimously agreed, without any convincing, that mouthguards should be mandatory for our players on the basketball court. The head boys basketball coach, also our Athletic Director, then made a mandatory ruling that every basketball player for our school wears a mouthguard on the court during a game. As a parent, I really respect the coach’s willingness to honor the parents’ wishes and applaud my fellow parents for banding together and insisting on an added safety element for our kids.

If your child’s team or sport doesn’t require a mouthguard, please consider personally insisting on one for your child. It could save your athlete from severe dental trauma and will help protect their beautiful, winning smile.

Written and submitted by Stephanie Jugovich, staff member at Pike Lake Dental