With modern orthodontic technology, you can straighten your teeth without sacrificing your active lifestyle, including playing sports. With the right precautions, you can confidently take on the field or court without worry. At Farnsworth Family Orthodontics, we prioritize protecting your smile while you enjoy your favorite activities.
Here are a few tips on how to protect your smile while wearing braces to get you up and running.
Get Ready with the Right Sports Gear
Most sports require specialized gear designed to protect you, or at least reduce the damages, from injuries. Make sure to wear standard equipment approved by your coach or the governing body for the activity you’ll be joining. This is particularly important for contact sports such as the following:
- Boxing and martial arts
- American football
- Hockey
- Lacrosse
- Wrestling
Make sure to wear the correct apparel — gloves, helmets, body gear, etc. Reducing the impact your body receives also reduces the risks of your mouth getting hit.
Wearing Custom Mouthguards Over Braces
If you’re wearing braces, our premier orthodontists — Dr. Farnsworth, Dr. Sorensen, and Dr. Brimhall —- prescribe mouth guards over your braces. These are custom-made and intended to fit the mold of your braces, dampening any impact to prevent injuries to your teeth, the insides of your mouth, and your brackets and wires.
Mouthguards for Invisalign Treatment
If you’re using Invisalign clear aligners, wearing a traditional mouthguard isn’t practical, as it would be bulky and unnecessary. Typically, you can just remove your aligners during the game and put them back on afterward.
Custom-fitted mouthguards aren’t ideal for Invisalign users either, as they won’t fit properly after a few months of treatment due to shifting teeth. Instead, our orthodontists suggest using “boil and bite” mouthguards. These are made from thermally-reactive plastic that molds to your teeth when heated and then cooled, offering a snug fit.
Assess the Possible Risks in Your Sport
Understanding the potential risks of playing contact sports with your orthodontic treatment helps you prepare and respond better. It can even drive your gameplay strategies to minimize exposing your mouth and braces to impact. Depending on the sport, you may experience any of the following:
- Heavy blows
Engaging in contact sports can expose your body to a wide range of blows, from slaps to full-on body tackles. The impact can dislodge your brackets or bend wires,
- Biting
Whether you’re bracing for impact or gritting your teeth, this applies excessive force to your teeth and gums.
- Cuts
Swift, continuous movement and external forces can cause your brackets to cut or scrape your lips and the insides of your cheeks.
- Dislocated jaw and bones
Dislocated jaws also dislocate an entire section of your mouth: teeth, brackets, and wires. This can crack brackets and cut archwires.
Mouthguards play a crucial role in protecting your smile. They help absorb impact, reducing the force on your teeth and preventing your braces from directly contacting the inside of your mouth.
Prepare Your Survival Kit
There are different degrees of damage to your braces, and there are instances where you’ll have to go on playing. For minor inconveniences from wearing your treatment, make sure you have your braces care kit that contains the following:
- Orthodontic Wax: This special wax is used to cover the part of your braces irritating the insides of your mouth. It still helps to keep orthodontic wax handy to protect your gums, tongue, and cheek as you take a rest from the slightly bulkier mouthguards.
- Mirror: If you feel something’s wrong, a compact mirror makes it easy for you to assess the situation. Whether something’s stuck in your braces or a part has broken off, you can check most parts of your mouth and see if you can continue playing.
- Lip Balm: It is common among brace-wearing patients to experience dried or chapped lips. Lip balms and chapsticks keep your lips moisturized and feeling comfortable.
- Mouthwash: Aside from making it easier to clean your mouth, mouthwash variants that contain xylitol also help with dry mouths.
- Painkillers: There are over-the-counter painkillers for alleviating discomfort from wearing braces like acetaminophen.
- Invisalign Case: As you temporarily put away your Invisalign aligners, make sure you have a dedicated case handy. It keeps your aligner trays sanitized and moisturized, making them ready for your next use.
With an orthodontic care kit ready, you can minimize your downtime and return to your game in no time. However, if the damage to your braces is quite extensive, you better head to one of our offices to get them fixed.
Get Smile Treatments For Your Active Lifestyle
Combining the right orthodontic treatment and care habits will let you enjoy life to the fullest, such as engaging in your favorite sports! At Farnsworth Family Orthodontics, we provide the highest standard of orthodontic care designed to keep up with your best performance.
If you’re ready to get the smile you’ve always wanted, start with a free consultation, and we’ll handle the rest!