Word of Mouth

The Dental Wellness Center -- Linda Golden, D.D.S.

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Fall 1997

WORD OF MOUTH

Quarterly Newsletter of The Golden Dental Wellness Center

Keep on Smiling!

Dear Friend:

Welcome to the Fall 1997 issue of Word of Mouth. As you can see, we've upgraded the quality of our communication with you. I hope you enjoy it and that you'll let me know what you think, and maybe even write or e-mail me at anygold@aol.com with some questions you'd like answered in future issues.

In this issue, I focus on the importance of appropriate mouth protection for the sports player. I can't tell you how many unfortunate and unnecessary accidents I've seen, how many broken, knocked out, and badly damaged teeth I've repaired, because the patient didn't wear a mouth guard during a sports activity. Mouth guards are advisable for many more sports than you might think, and not just for kids, either. Anyone who participates in a sport where there's even a remote possibility of oral and/or dental damage should consider the benefits of a custom mouth guard.

If you'd like to find out more about custom mouth guards, call me at (516) 627-8400. I'm always happy to answer your questions and help you make the best decision for your dental health.

I hope that your summer was pleasant, and I look forward to catching up at your next dental appointment. In the meantime, keep on smiling!

Your Family Dentist,

Linda J. Golden, DDS

It's Not Whether Your Win or Lose, It's Whether You Keep Your Teeth!

Got someone who's sports crazy in your house? Not just the sit-in-front-of-the-television-and-scream-at-the-screen kind of sports crazy, but the get-out-on-the-field-and-go-nuts kind of sports crazy? If you do, then your home or at least a whole lot of closet space in your home probably looks like the discount department at Sports Authority. It's probably jammed with all the prerequisite gear. You know, cleats, gloves, uniforms, balls, sticks, custom mouth guards.

What's that you say? No custom mouth guard? Uh-oh! As the saying goes, in sports it's not whether you win or lose, it's whether you keep your teeth.

By way of trying to convince you that mouth guards are an absolute necessity in virtually every kind of sport (as if the pictures below and to the right don't make a strong enough argument), consider this: In basketball, where mouth guards are not required, some 34 percent of all injuries are dental, (flying elbows and falling face first onto the court can do a lot of damage), whereas in football, where mouth guards are required, that figure drops to 0.7 percent. (Football players may get their brains shaken, but they do smile nicely.)

If you're like most people, you probably think of protective mouth wear as standard equipment only for high-contact, high-injury sports like ice hockey and boxing. When the contact level drops, so does the perceived need for mouth and dental protection. But you may want to think again. The fact is, the Academy for Sports Dentistry has identified no fewer than 40 sports in which protective mouth gear serves a real benefit to players. These sports include, but are not limited to, mountain-biking, soccer, rugby, lacrosse, rollerblading, skateboarding, softball, racquetball, football, volleyball, baseball, basketball, martial arts, kick boxing, roller hockey, ice hockey, and field hockey ‹ in short, any activity in which there's even a remote possibility of injury to the face and/or mouth.

By the way, the injuries we're talking about involve more than just rattled teeth. Other injuries include tooth fractures and dislocation, soft tissue lacerations and bruising, jaw fractures, concussion, and injuries to the neck and central nervous system. And mouth guards have been proven to reduce the incidence or severity of all of these.

So mouth guards serve a real purpose even in sports not commonly associated with unnecessary roughness. But beware: Not all mouth guards are created equal. There's a big and important difference between the off-the-shelf products you can buy in your local sports store, and the type of protective mouth guard that only a dentist can provide.

Store brand mouth guards come in two varieties: Ready-to-wear, and the so-called boil and bite' type, which is fitted to the mouth after heating. While both offer some protection and are certainly better than nothing at all, they also present some serious limitations. For example, both types of off-the-shelf guards have a tendency to slip around in the mouth, and they've been known to restrict speech and breathing. Also, the boil and bite' type thins out as it's pressed, reducing its effectiveness. And, because there's no guarantee they fit properly, some have even been swallowed!

On the other hand, custom mouth guards, which can only be created by a qualified dentist, are not only fitted to the special conditions of the user's mouth, such as braces and/or missing teeth, but they can also be designed to be most appropriate for the wearer's age, the specific sport, and the level of competition within that sport. And custom mouth guards won't slip or interfere with speech or breathing.

Here are some important facts about custom mouth guards that may encourage you to think twice before playing without one:

Statistics indicate that custom mouth guards prevent about 200,000 potential oral/dental injuries every year.
Custom mouth guards have been proven to offer as much as 1,000 percent more protection than off-the-shelf products. (Yes, that's one thousand percent!)
Custom mouth guards can be produced for children as young as 7 years of age. But since 60 percentcustom mouth guards can also be worn over dentures. Custom mouth guards are for every sports enthusiast, regardless of age.
While the expense of a custom mouth guard may be a concern, costs are relative. Tooth replacement and maintenance commonly costs as much as 20 times more than the cost of custom fitting mouth guard for dental and oral protection.
Finally, surveys show that the most eager, most dedicated custom mouth guard wearers are people who have already had sporting accidents. Obviously, they've learned from their mistakes.

Don't wait for an accident before you decide to protect your own teeth. Consider the benefits of a custom mouth guard for yourself and for anyone you love who enjoys a potentially injurious sport. Then you can play as hard as you like, knowing that no matter what the final score, you'll always have a winning smile!

Call Dr. Golden at 516-627-8400, and mention this newsletter for your FREE Consultation!