Flag Football to Full Contact: Why Mouth Guards Matter at Every Level of Play

Make a mouth guard standard equipment.

Youth football is a fantastic way for your child to stay active, build confidence, make friends, and learn all about teamwork. Whether they are playing flag football or starting to play full tackle football, the sport can provide your child with many memories and opportunities.

Like many sports, football comes with its fair share of bumps, tackles, and unexpected falls. While your child may be wearing the proper safety equipment, are they also wearing a mouth guard? A custom-fitted mouth guard can help to protect your child’s smile while they are out playing on the field.

The team at Pediatric Dental Specialists in Omaha, Nebraska, are able to answer your questions about mouth guards, and can get your child a properly fitted guard to protect their teeth while they participate in any contact sports or activities.

Even flag football comes with contact.

While flag football is often billed as a safer alternative to tackle football, participants can still get their fair share of bumps and bruises. During flag football games, there are accidental collisions, flying elbows and other limbs, and other unexpected tumbles. While these incidents are accidental, it only takes one mishap for a collision with the face or mouth to happen. Those accidental mishaps can lead to a tooth getting chipped or cracked, and sometimes, knocked out altogether.

Because of accidental contact, dentists recommend for all children who participate in any sort of sport or physical activity—even karate, gymnastics, basketball, and other popular sports—to wear a custom-fitted mouth guard to help protect a child’s teeth from accidental hits and falls while participating in physical activities.

What does a mouth guard actually do?

Guards are designed to protect your child’s teeth during physical activities. A mouth guard absorbs the impact of hits and falls, and cushions teeth, lips, and jaws during physical activities. This appliance acts as protection for your child’s mouth and helps reduce the risk of broken teeth, jaw injuries, and can even help prevent some concussions.

Custom or Store Bought: Which one is right for your athlete?

Any mouth guard is better for protection than no mouth guard, but if you are looking for the best protection for your young athlete, dentists everywhere recommend a custom-fitted mouth guard. One that is bought at a store is a generic option that can feel loose or bulky, and may not fit into your child’s mouth properly, which means it won’t protect your child’s teeth very well.

A custom-fitted mouth guard from Pediatric Dental Specialists is designed to fit your child’s mouth comfortably, and more importantly, designed to custom fit in your child’s mouth. A firm fit is important because that is what protects your child’s smile while they are out on the playing field.

When should your child wear a mouth guard?

If your child is participating in any kind of physical activity or sport, they should be wearing their mouth guard any time they play. This includes during practices, scrimmages, and games. Even if your child is playing in the backyard with their friends, encourage them to wear their mouth protection any time there is a chance of an accidental bump or fall.

To make sure your child is getting the most protection from their mouth guard, make sure their dentist checks the fit periodically. Because children are growing and losing baby teeth, their mouths may be changing, so a new appliance may be needed more often than you think.

Keep the fun, skip the dental emergencies.

Participating in football or another group activity or sport can be safe and rewarding, as long as precautions are taken. Just like you wouldn’t let your child hit the field without their helmet, they should also remember to grab their mouth guard when they play. This appliance can offer some peace of mind for your child’s teeth and help protect their smile season after season.

Visit Pediatric Dental Specialists for a custom-fitted mouth guard.

If your child is participating in football or any other physical activity where they may get knocked around, a custom-fitted guard from Pediatric Dental Specialists should be part of their uniform. A custom-fitted mouth guard will help protect your child’s smile from hits and bumps they may take while on the playing field. If you are looking for more information on custom-fitted mouth guards or want to get your child one, give our Omaha branch a call to schedule an appointment today!