Play it Safe
As we welcome spring each year, we also welcome an increase in sports and other outdoor activities. This makes it the perfect time to remind parents, caregivers, coaches and athletes how important it is to wear proper safety gear.
“Every year about 3 million people are treated in emergency departments across the U.S. for facial trauma injuries.”
According to the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, sports accidents reportedly account for up to 39% of all dental injuries in children and are most often caused by direct hits with a hard object or player-to-player contact.
Whether your activity takes you on or off the field, wearing the proper protective gear will help you not only have fun, but play it safe too.
In collaboration with National Facial Protection Month, the dental association’s offer the following tips to help prevent facial injury:
- Wear a mouth guard when playing contact sports. Mouth guards are significantly less expensive than the cost to repair an injury, and dentists and dental specialists can make customized mouth guards that hold teeth in place and allow for normal speech and breathing.
- Wear a helmet. Helmets absorb the energy of an impact and help prevent damage to the head.
- Wear protective eyewear. Eyes are extremely vulnerable to damage, especially when playing sports.
- Wear a face shield to avoid scratched or bruised skin. Hockey pucks, basketballs and racquetballs can cause severe facial damage at any age.
- Make protective gear mandatory for all sports. Athletes who participate in football, hockey and boxing are required to wear mouth guards. If mouth guards have been proven to significantly decrease the risk of oral injuries, why is it not mandatory in every sport for kids to be required to wear them?
