Sports and Oral Health

According to research from the Oral Health Foundation, between 13% and 39% of all dental injuries in the UK are linked to accidents during sport and it also accounts for around 25% of children injuring or losing front teeth. Missing teeth can be a common result of these dental injuries, making looking after your teeth during sports essential. 

Options like mouthguards, which can be custom fitted to your teeth, helmets and other protective equipment can be great ways to avoid losing teeth due to sports injuries - but if the worst does happen, dental implant treatments can be essential to restoring your smile and rebuilding your confidence. 

If the worst does happen and you do loose a tooth whilst playing sports, the OHF has the following advice:

• If you can find the tooth and it is clean, put it back into the socket yourself.
• Go to a dentist or hospital as soon as possible.
• Don't hold the tooth by the root, as teeth are surrounded by fragile ligaments which need to be kept intact if the tooth is to be put back in.
• Don't clean the tooth with disinfectant or water, or let it dry out.
• Don't put aspirin or clove oil on the wound.
• The sooner the tooth is replaced, the better the chances of success. If you have not managed to do it yourself, the dentist will put the tooth back. They may use a dental splint to fasten the tooth against the teeth on either side.

If the tooth is lost, or otherwise irreplaceable, there are a number of options for you to consider:

1. A dental implant provides the ultimate tooth replacement and is the closest option to the real tooth that has been lost. Dental implants are very durable and will last many years, without having to worry about decay, and they do not suffer from corrosion or the effects of sugar, acid and bacteria in the mouth.
   
   
2. A fixed bridge can be attached to the teeth either side of a gap in the mouth. A bridge does offer a fixed alternative, but requires the other teeth to be strong enough to support the restoration.
   
   
3. A removable denture is often offered. They are the “old fashioned” way of replacing missing teeth - the first recorded denture was made in around the 7th century B.C! Dentures come with a number of issues around comfort, difficulty with wear, as well as putting pressure on remaining teeth and gums. 

Losing a single tooth can also have an impact on the surrounding teeth, and cause future issues for patients such as further tooth loss or damage over time. Dental implant treatments, whether replacing single or multiple teeth, can help to reduce the stress on a patient’s remaining natural teeth, as well as maintaining the ability to chew and reducing or removing any impacts on speech that might be experienced. 

If you are suffering from tooth loss for any reason, you should consider dental implant treatments as a way of restoring your smile and improving your overall dental health - with a permanent solution that can last a lifetime. At 7oaks Clinic Advanced Dental Implant Care, we provide all of our patients with a pressure-free consultation and place their wellbeing at the centre of everything we do. Get in touch with our team of dental implant experts today.