Oral Health: Don't Ignore Your GumsOral Health: Don't Ignore Your Gums


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Oral Health: Don't Ignore Your Gums

When you go to your dentist, you are likely concerned about cavities and the stains on your teeth. If you are like me, then you probably never thought much about your gums. Unfortunately, this caused me to form a serious gum recession condition. My dentist said that hard brushing practices, poor flossing techniques, and even the consumption of sugary foods led to the recession. After some deep scaling treatments, I was informed that I needed a gum graft procedure. The gums are extremely important to your health. They provide your teeth with the nutrients they need and they protect the sensitive dental roots. The gums even keep bacteria away from your jaw bone. Don't ignore your gums like I did. Read my blog and learn about proper oral care techniques. Prevention practices can easily save your gums from necessary restoration.

Does Your Child Want To Pursue Ice Hockey But Worried About Their Teeth?

If you have a child that is interested in playing ice hockey and even in possibly pursuing it on a professional level, then you may find yourself concerned about their dental health. After all, the stereotype of hockey players having numerous missing teeth comes at least in part from reality. Before you shut the door on your child's athletic dreams, get to know some of the ways that your child can get treatment for injuries to their teeth so that you can better decide what you should do to keep your child healthy, happy, and safe all at the same time.

Your Child Can Wear A Protective Mouthguard

If you are genuinely concerned with your child's dental and oral health when they are playing hockey, you can ask them to wear a protective mouthguard during games. These mouth guards are customized to your child's jaws and teeth so that they fit snugly around the teeth.

When your child wears the mouthguard their teeth will be cushioned if they get hit in the mouth. This can prevent broken teeth and can keep teeth from getting knocked out. While injuries may still occur even with a mouthguard, they will be far less severe.

Most Junior and Pro Hockey Teams Have Team Dentists

One factor to keep in mind is that once your child reaches the competitive level of junior leagues or professional leagues, most teams have their own dental office that serves as the team dentist. This means that your child will have access to swift and high quality dental care if they do happen to sustain an injury while on the ice.

These dentists are experts at emergency dental care as well as implant and prosthetic dentistry. As such, you can rest assured that your child will get the best dental care possible for any injuries they sustain if that does occur.

Dental Implants Can Permanently Replace Missing Teeth

If you are worried about the long-term impact of playing hockey on your child's dental and oral care, then you may be pleased to know that there is a permanent tooth replacement option that may be able to help them. Dental implants are tooth replacement options that can essentially recreate a highly realistic tooth replacement in both form and function.

A dental implant starts with the implant itself which is a dental root replacement that looks like a small screw. This screw is implanted into the facial bone in which the teeth are rooted with a small abutment that sticks out just past the gums. On top of that protrusion an artificial tooth is attached that is designed to look like a natural tooth.

The one caveat about dental implants is that your child will likely want to get them after they are done playing hockey so that the implant does not suffer damage as the dental implant may not be replaceable if too much damage is done to the structure of the mouth and the bone to which it is attached. In the meantime, your child could opt for removable dentures to hide any tooth damage or missing teeth.

Now that you know more about dental care for hockey players, you can better work with your child to determine if pursuing hockey is the right choice for them. And it is important to remember that your child may never suffer a dental injury at all even with years of competitive hockey playing at a junior or even professional level. Keep this in mind as well when you are making your decision. Click here for info about implants.