Injuries during sporting activities are a common cause of dental trauma and may require a dental job such as tooth extraction. Sports Dentistry is a branch of dental practice concerned with the prevention and treatment of oral and facial conditions and injuries in sport. The goal is to limit risk of injury while also helping athletes get the most from their sporting activities.

Preventing Sports Dental Injuries

Measures to prevent or reduce the likelihood of sports dental injuries include educating athletes in safe techniques, especially for contact sports such as rugby, football, hockey and boxing. Using the appropriate sporting and protective equipment, and exercising in safe environments, also prevents players from experiencing harm to the mouth and face.

Athletes also incur dental trauma during non-confrontational sports such as cycling, tennis, skateboarding, and baseball, and wearing properly-fitted mouth-guards for such sports is recommended. There are different types of mouth-guard designs depending on the specific sporting needs. Some are pressure laminated and custom made, Stock, or Boil and Bite, while others are vacuum custom made. Besides padded protection or guards for the face, mouth-guards and equipment, pre-season examinations are also important to identify any vulnerabilities that individual players may have to the mouth and face, such as gum Gingivitis and Caries Disease that puts players at greater risk.

Treating Sports Dental Injuries

Sports dentists also work closely with other medical professionals when dental trauma is accompanies by other injuries, such as head injury, concussion or fractures, or you will find in many cases that your local Birmingham dentist, if you are based in the heart of the UK, can treat your injury. Sometimes dentists are called out to the field when players are severely injured for “on-site
differential diagnosis” when they assess and identify the damage to the mouth and face where the sporting injury has occurred.

Orthodontics and Cosmetic Surgery play a major role in Sports Dentistry when players are injured and require tooth extraction, bridges, crowns, implants or veneers. Some athletes may need restorative surgery or Invisalign braces for teeth rehabilitation. Sports Dentists strive to help athletes perform at their best by ensuring that their teeth do not decay or become diseased, affecting their overall health and ability to compete.