Who Needs a Sports Dentist?

Anyone who participates in any sport can benefit from a sports performance mouthguard; period. Unless you are playing chess or poker. Athletes today keep pushing the limits and are competing at extreme levels. Boston is the hometown for many champions in the NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL. Whether you are an elite professional sports athlete or a weekend warrior protecting your teeth, lips, gums, and jaws should be a concern of yours.

Approximately 15 million Americans su!er dental injuries and 5 million teeth are lost annually in sports-related injuries. During a single athletic season, athletes have a 1 in 10 chance of su!ering a facial or dental injury. In fact, the lifetime risk of such an injury is estimated to be about 45% according to the National Youth Sports Foundation. The NYSSF estimates more than 3 million teeth will be avulsed in youth sporting events. They also report that athletes who don’t wear mouthguards are 60 times more likely to experience trauma to the oral cavity.

Dr. William Papadopoulos is a seasoned sports dentist who can help you protect your smile. He provides exceptionally precise, well-fitting, protective mouthguards to elite athletes in Cambridge, Boston, and Brookline, MA.

Why is it important to have a Sports Dentist?

Su!ering a sports related trauma

Facts from the National Youth Sports Foundation for Safety

Dental injuries are the most common type of orofacial injury sustained during participation in sports; the majority of these dental injuries are preventable.
An athlete is 60 times more likely to sustain damage to the teeth when not wearing a protective mouthguard.
The cost of a fractured tooth is many times greater than the cost of a dentist diagnosed and designed professionally made mouthguard.
Every athlete involved in contact sport has about a 10% chance per season of an orofacial injury, or a 33-56% chance during an athletic career.
The cost of a dental implant replacing a front tooth and the follow-up dental treatment is upwards of $5000.
Victims of knocked out teeth who do not have a tooth properly preserved or replanted in a timely manner may face lifetime dental costs of $15,000-$20,000/tooth, hours in the dental chair, and the possible development of other dental problems such as periodontal disease.
It is estimated that faceguards and mouthguards prevent approximately 200,000 injuries each year in high school and college football.
The stock mouthguard which is bought at sports stores without any individual fitting, provide only a low level of protection if any. If the wearer is rendered unconscious, there is a risk the mouthguard may lodge in the throat potentially causing an airway obstruction.

Schedule Your Consultation

To schedule you consultation with Dr. Papadopoulos, contact us online or call us at (617) 738-0700.