Protect Your Teeth This Summer

With summer right around the corner, it's a good idea to think about how you can protect your teeth.

For many the summer means increased outdoor activity. Wearing a helmet while riding your bike is a good idea, but so is wearing a customized mouth guard when doing any activity that could result in a facial injury, such as soccer, or baseball.

It is estimated between 13-39% of all dental injuries occur when playing sports and most of those will impact at least one front tooth. While minor chips and cracks to teeth can generally be easily repaired, when a tooth is knocked out or severely damaged, the cost to repair or replace can be substantial. 

While helmets are great for activities that involve speed and impact, like football and biking, a custom fit mouth guard is the best way to prevent an injury to your mouth. Teeth, tongue and lips can all suffer after an impact on the playing field. These blood rich areas can also bruise and bleed after a fall or blow. 

A mouth guard is made of a soft plastic and is ideally customized for your mouth - both upper and lower teeth. 

This summer, Dr. Judith Ko, of Hemet Valley Dental Care in California urges you to keep your smile healthy and happy.