As our junior and senior domestic competitions are back in full swing, we wanted to send an important reminder to all players to protect those precious teeth!
We all love the game of basketball for its fast pace and close contact defence, however these are the very elements that put your mouth at risk of serious dental related injuries.
A study on intercollegiate basketball conducted in 2007 found that the dental injury incident rate in 100 college basketball athletes was 10.6%. The next highest sport was college football with an incident rate of 2%.
The result of the report was a recommendation that mouthguards be made mandatory at a collegiate level. Read more about the study here
Here in WA, Basketball WA have a Health Policy that makes it mandatory for players under 18 years of age playing WABL or State level to wear a mouthguard. You can find the BWA Health Policy here
To all of our junior and senior domestic players, your teeth are just as valuable as anyone else’s!
Still not convinced? See below for the biggest benefits of wearing a mouthguard;
- Your mouthguard is less expensive than dental repairs!
- Mouthguards are designed to protect both your teeth, and your jawbone.
- Mouthguards are easy to clean and maintain
- The mouthguard can also protect you from biting or splitting your tongue in the case of impact to the mouth
- Studies have shown that wearing a mouthguard can reduce the risk of sports-related concussion (SRC) read more about it here.
You can obtain mouthguards from your local chemist, where you can boil and self mould them to your jaw. While this will give you some protection, if they are ill fitting, you are not maximising the benefits of a mouthguard.
We recommend heading to your dentist and getting a custom made mouthguard that will give you the ultimate protection and comfort, without hindering your breathing or talking.
Going through your dentist means that you can claim your custom mouthguard through your health insurance, leaving you only marginally out of pocket for a major investment in your smile!
Our friends at Willeri Dental offer custom mouthguard services, including personalising them to your team colours, or your chosen pattern! To find out more, head to the Willeri Dental website here.
We hope to continue seeing all of those smiles in perfect condition from the protection of your mouthguard!
