One of the leading causes of tooth loss other than through decay is found in physical damage as a result of recreational activities such as participating in organized sports. When a number of highly-motivated individuals are placed in competitive motion towards the same objective such as control or possession of a ball, collisions are likely to occur. In other cases, it is the ball itself that inflicts damage as a result of it being violently propelled towards one of the players. Competitive sports though, are fine but extra precautions and safety equipment should be used by individuals to protect their teeth. In the event that an injury should occur, one needs to have an experienced oral surgeon to restore what was broken.
Sporting Injuries that Dental Implants Could Fix
Even in sports where there are no such risks, the accelerated movements of the participants can provide sufficient force to cause serious dental injuries. Skiers and speed skaters can crash. Divers can come into contact with the sides or bottom of the pool. Dogsled racers can get whacked with a spruce branch. Even some of the world’s most recognizable professional athletes have fallen victim to sports-related damage.
The National Hockey League’s Wayne Gretzky was regarded as the greatest player to have ever skated but even he was not immune to tooth loss arising from participation in such a rough game. Another sport that is particularly well known for such injuries is football. There have been many different innovations over the years that are designed to cut down on the number of such painful and disfiguring injuries. Mouth guards have become mandatory in most youth leagues and highly-advisable in most professional settings. These simple and inexpensive devices have drastically reduced the number of frontal tooth loss injuries that comprise the great majority of sports-related problems
Beyond this initial layer of protection, organized sports have gradually moved towards requiring face guards, or towards adopting more extensive facial protection standards for those sports where such requirements were already in place. The most well-known of these sports is football, which was once played without any facial or head protection whatsoever, then introduced a close-fitting leather helmet, and then expanded into more secure protective devices and chin guards, which have now grown to the point where football players often resemble ancient gladiators in their caged helmets.
Restoring Smiles with Dental Implants
While advertisers lament the fact that this has rendered football stars less recognizable in person and thus less bankable as promotional spokesmen compared to other sports which allow the fans to see their heroes faces easily, it has no doubt contributed to a much more enjoyable quality of life for the players both during and after their careers. The moral of the story is that even the toughest athletes in the most physical sports now avail themselves of every protection possible in order to preserve their dental and facial integrity. Many former athletes have turned to dental implants as a solution to restore a smile that has been damaged over their playing careers. Younger players should learn from these examples and always strive to protect themselves first, rather than risk permanent damage in return for the ephemeral possibility of looking good on the field of play.
Of course one other advantage enjoyed by today’s players is that they are no longer trapped by the inferior dental replacement procedures of the past. Modern dental implants can make their smiles as good as new. Of course when it comes to dental implants Houston has many fine practitioners, like OMSH and none of them want to see you in their office with severe, avoidable injuries. Please make sure and protect yourself by wearing mouth guards and face masks when playing sports.
For more information on how to protect oneself playing contact, competitive sports or to restore any damaged from injuries or collisions, contact one of the top clinics for dental implants Houston has to offer, OMSH today!
