Celebrate National Facial Protection Month This April

Now that spring sports are becoming a reality once again, it’s more important than ever to protect your face. That means wearing mouth guards, face shields, protective eyewear, and helmets for sports like lacrosse, baseball, and soccer. You can celebrate National Facial Protection Month by reading up on these tips to protect your most valuable asset: your face.

According to Medscape, sports-related facial injuries comprise eight percent of facial soft tissue injuries. Did you know 10 to 40 percent of all sports injuries involve the face? This most often occurs due to direct hits from balls or with a body part such as another player’s elbow.

Play it safe when taking part in recreational and organized sports, as facial injuries are not only painful but can lead to serious and long-lasting injury. Eyes, teeth, jaws … these all need the highest levels of protection.

Safety Tips for Facial Protection During the Sports Season

To be the safest you can be when hitting the fields or courts this spring, wear:

• Mouth Guard: This will ensure your teeth and tongue are not injured if you take a hockey puck or ball to the mouth. You can have your dentist make you a custom mouthguard that feels comfortable, that is fitted to you personally, and that allows you to breathe and speak normally.
• Helmet: Helmets can take the energy of any kind of impact, preventing damage to the skull. This can cut down on lacerations, concussions, and brain damage.
• Face Shield: Baseballs, lacrosse balls, hockey pucks, footballs, and racquetballs can cause serious damage. Shields will protect your entire face, including cheek bones, eye sockets, and jaws.
• Protective Eyewear: The eyes are the riskiest area of the face for injury, as unprotected impact can lead to serious injuries.
• Mandatory Protective Gear: Many spring sports require the use of protective face gear in order to participate. These include lacrosse, football, hockey, and boxing. The use of protective gear has been proven to greatly reduce the risk of oral injury.

Which Sports Have the Most Oral Injuries?

Organized sports that have the most oral injuries include:

• Baseball
• Softball
• Lacrosse
• Basketball
• Wrestling
• Ice hockey
• Field hockey
• Football
• Soccer

But this doesn’t mean that pickup sports are any less dangerous. In fact, they can be more so because of the lack of organization, rules, and referees overseeing play.

This spring, have a conversation with your dentist about the right mouthguards, shields, and other protective face equipment necessary for the kinds of sports you or your child play.

Contact Studio City Dental Center

If you require a custom mouth guard to protect your teeth while participating in sports, contact us at 818-762-2977 to make an appointment.