Sports Drinks - Should Your Child Be Drinking Them?

 www.adelbergpediatricdental.com

When it comes to beverages for our kids, especially ones who are active in sports, there’s an enormous selection of sodas, juices, teas, and bottled waters to choose from - including the popular buzzword: sports drinks.

Sports and energy drinks include anything from vitamin waters to “high energy” supplement drinks, all with common ingredients to “do” something extra (ie: boosting nutrition, enhancing performance, increasing energy, etc). With spring sports in full swing and the warmer weather creeping up on us, kids are likely to reach for a sports drink to hydrate and quench their thirst after play, but are they even a good option for kids?

Not necessarily. Typically, the average young athlete can get all necessary nutrients and hydration simply from eating health foods and drinking plenty of water before, during, and after exercise.  With sugar as a primary ingredient in these beverages, they can contribute to obesity, tooth decay, and enamel erosion if too much is consumed.

Studies have shown the erosive potential sports drinks have. This damage to tooth enamel cannot be fixed and will cause teeth to become sensitive to touch plus make them more susceptible to cavities and decay.

Avoid all of these problems by substituting these beverages with water to rehydrate and healthy snacks to help sustain your child’s performance on the field. If your child just can’t live without his/her favorite sports drink - just be mindful and monitor the amount they consume. Try to limit the consumption to a single serving and replace the other servings with water!

Spring Sports: The Importance of a Mouthguard

 www.adelbergpediatricdental.com

Spring sports are upon us and while these sports are important for building your child’s confidence, team working skills, and physical endurance, there is also an inherent risk of injury. According to the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, about 10-39% of childhood dental injuries are sports related.

Although we can never completely remove all risk of dental injury from playing sports, most of these injuries could have been easily prevented had the athlete been wearing a mouthguard:

Fractured Tooth
Enamel and dentin are both protectors of the inner living tooth tissue also known as the pulp. In the event of a serious tooth factor, both the dentin and the pulp tissue would be exposed, calling for an immediate visit to the dentist. To prevent the tooth from completely falling out, the dentist may splint the loose tooth by bonding it to adjacent teeth.

A minor fracture involves chipping of the enamel only. Your child may feel sharp or rough tooth edges irritating the cheek and tongue. Generally, the only thing that the tooth would need is a filling or a cap to protect the pulp from any exposure.

Lost Teeth
Commonly, the upper front adult teeth run the highest risk of being knocked out. In this case, retrieve the lost teeth, keep them moist, and replace them into their sockets as soon as possible. Time is precious, teeth re-implanted within an hour of the incident often reattach to their teeth sockets.

Teeth Displacement
Instead of a tooth being completely knocked out of its sockets, it’s simply displaced. The tooth may be pulled out a bit to appear longer or pushed in to appear shorter. A displaced tooth can be twisted, turned, but never leaves the mouth. The sooner your child sees a dentist the easier it will be to bring it back into proper alignment, whether through splitting or orthodontic brackets and wires.

There’s no need to risk it, any mouth guard is better than NO mouth guard. But when trying to choose which one to go with, how do you decide which is best for your child? Check out our blog “Mouth Guard or No Mouth Guard” to determine the best type of mouthguard for your child to keep their teeth safe from injury. Feel free to discuss your options with us today!

Mouth Guard or No Mouth Guard: Is That Even a Question?!

Adelberg Montalvan Pediatric Dental and Orthodontics

www.adelbergpediatricdental.com 

Playing sports is a great activity for kids; the only downside is the risk of dental injury. In fact, more than half of the seven million sports and recreation-related injuries that occur each year are sustained by youth between ages 5 and 24 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).

There’s no need to risk it, any mouth guard is better than NO mouth guard. But when trying to choose which one to go with, how do you decide which is best for your child?

The Academy of Sports Dentistry requires a mouth guard have the following properties and considerations:

1. Proper fit – a fit that is retentive and not dislodged on impact
2. Adequate thickness – in all areas to provide for the reduction of impact forces
3. Speech considerations – based on the demands of the playing status of the athlete
4. FDA approved material

Before your child's next soccer, basketball, baseball game, etc., make sure a mouth guard is included as part of their uniform. There are three main types of mouth guards that can suit your child: custom made, boil and bite/self fit, and stock mouth guards. Read below for additional information on each:

Custom made:

• Expensive, individually designed and made by your dentist and dental labs. These mouth guards have the most comfortable, perfect fit which provides optimum protection and improved performance. The fit and size are measured by the dentist and the athlete’s medical history, demographic factors, and type of sport are all also taken into account. 

Boil and Bite / Self fit:

• Inexpensive, store bought, and becomes pliable when heated. Athletes will create a custom fit by biting down into the warm plastic after boiling the mouth guard in water. In order to make these mouth guards pliable, they are made with softer material compared to other mouth guards. For this reason they often aren’t as reliable or resilient. 

Stock mouth guards:

• Very inexpensive, store bought, and ready to wear. Unfortunately, these are so poor fitting that they often fall out when the athlete opens their mouth to speak or breathe.  Not to mention will dislodge on impact.

Whichever type you choose, be sure it is resilient, comfortable, fits properly, and does not restrict breathing or your child’s speech. Feel free to discuss your options with us today!