Your kid may not love the look of a mouthguard, but wearing one could mean the difference between a healthy smile and a damaged one! Wearing a mouthguard shields teeth from impact, protects the soft tissue (including the lips, tongue, and cheeks), and can even help prevent neck and jaw injuries.

There are many different sports out there where your child is at risk for suffering mouth trauma — and not just contact sports either! Here are five sports that your child should wear a mouthguard for:

Football

When you think of a contact sport, we bet many of you have pictures of football in your mind. By nature, the game consists of hard-hitting plays, which can result in some bad mouth injuries. Knee, thigh, hip, and shoulder pads are required, but don’t forget to protect the teeth too!

Basketball

With basketball you may not be having a direct physical competition, but it is a sport filled with flying elbows — and getting one of those to the face can bring on a whole lot of pain. A mouthguard can help your child avoid injury from all those swinging arms, or even that random ball gone awry.

Hockey

Suffering a direct blow is definitely possible, if not common, when it comes to hockey. We bet you’ve come across a photo or two of some hockey players with toothless smiles! Between a puck to the face, flying sticks, swinging elbows, or body slams, there are plenty of reasons for hockey players to wear mouthguards.

Baseball

The speed of baseballs is no joke. When a hard object is moving that fast and hits your face, it can do some serious damage! From foul balls and line drives to loose bats and bat flips to collisions while running to a base, it’s better to be safe than sorry by putting in a mouthguard.

Gymnastics

Gymnastics may not be a contact sport but there is still plenty of risk for a tooth or mouth injury. The American Dental Association actually recommends that gymnasts wear mouthguards!

Don’t forget that your child should wear a mouthguard not only when they’re playing a sport but when they’re training or practicing for it too. Wearing one is much better than dealing with chipped, broken, or knocked-out teeth!

If your kid is in need of an athletic mouthguard, contact Jackson Smiles Family Dentistry. We’d be happy to provide a custom one that fits snugly and protects your child’s teeth!