The National Youth Sports Safety Foundation estimates that, on average, 3 million teeth are knocked out every year during organized sporting events. While dentists advise athletes to wear mouthguards in most sports, the data indicates many do not.
High-contact athletic competitions such as ice hockey, football, basketball, lacrosse, mixed martial arts and extreme sports (skateboarding, snowboarding, mountain biking) see athletes pay the price with their pearly whites, leading to costly trips to the dentist.
Dental implants, bridges or dentures are options for replacing missing teeth after a sports injury. Another alternative is Utratooth, the only FDA-cleared immediate-load dental device, which can replace a missing tooth in just a one-hour appointment. Whichever option an athlete chooses to fill the missing gap in their mouth, advancements in dentistry can make an athlete’s return to competition and oral health a smoother process.
“Injuries are a part of sports and injuries in and around the mouth are very common,” says Dr. Sargon Lazarof (www.sargondental.com), the creator of Ultratooth and a cosmetic dentist in the Los Angeles area. “The first question to be addressed is, what is the correct immediate and definitive treatment? Oral-facial injuries, those involving trauma to the mouth and face, can have significant negative functional, esthetic, and psychological effects on athletes.
“Only fairly recently has greater attention focused on this critical but often overlooked segment of sports-related injuries. Oral-facial injuries can be debilitating and costly, so it’s important to consult with a dentist for the best option given the type of injury.”
Dr. Lazarof explains how tooth-replacement technology benefits athletes in the short- and long-term:
- Puts them back in the game quickly. According to the American Dental Association, anywhere from 13 to 39 percent of all dental injuries are sports-related. Athletes want to compete and miss as little game time as possible due to injuries. Professional hockey players, for example, have been known to lose a tooth or several teeth in a single game and be back on the ice the same week. The National Hockey League has team dentists with each team. “Dentistry is one of the defining characteristics of the NHL and their players,” Dr. Lazarof says. “It’s vital to a player’s and a team’s success. Losing teeth is a badge of honor for many players, and it happens all the time.”
- Restores their appearance and confidence. Many professional athletes endorse products and have an image to uphold, and this often includes their availability to the media for interviews and press conferences. “A missing tooth can hinder one’s speech, make the athlete self-conscious about their appearance and affect their self-confidence,” Dr. Lazarof says. “Those feelings can be even more pronounced in a younger athlete. Getting teeth replaced is as important to self-image outside of the arena as it is in terms of competition.”
- Provides teeth stability and functionality. A person’s ability to chew is hampered because of a missing tooth. “This is especially troublesome if the tooth in question is an incisor or a molar,” Dr. Lazarof says. “But most importantly, a lost tooth can cause the surrounding jawbone to deteriorate over time, causing further tooth loss. And the nearby tooth also shifts toward the gap, causing crooked teeth that may be harder to brush and floss.”
“Unfortunately there aren’t many great options to replace a lost tooth for athletes since most available techniques take time and are not permanent solutions,” Dr. Lazarof says. “This is why many athletes wait until retirement to replace their missing teeth.
“Dental implants no longer are the state-of-the-art in tooth replacement since it takes several visits and multiple surgeries with added costs in time and money. Ultratooth is the only FDA- cleared immediate tooth replacement technology that allows the patient to walk out with a fully functioning tooth or teeth in a single visit.”
