Sports and Orthodontics

Protect your mouth with a mouthguard during all sports where a blow to the face is possible. Mouthguards cushion the impact if you were to get hit and significantly reduce the risk of broken brackets or wires. Mouthguards should cover the upper teeth and can also help to prevent broken teeth. It’s really important that kids in high-contact sports wear their mouthguards during games, competitions, and even during practice. Injuring your mouth or breaking your braces can derail your orthodontic progress and lead to increased treatment times.

It is recommended that your child remove their Invisalign aligners when playing high-impact sports – mostly because wearing their mouthguard takes priority when injuries are possible. However, it is generally safe to wear aligner trays when less intense or low-impact sports. If your child needs to take out their aligners to play sports, it’s important they put them back in their mouth as soon as they’re finished with physical activity for the day.

When it comes to orthodontics, sports injuries are just part of the game. We know that our patients have active lives and that sports are often a big part of that. We don’t want to dissuade anyone from playing sports, but we do want to help you be as careful as possible. Think about your mouthguard as part of your gear. Like a helmet for your teeth! If you do experience a sports-related injury, call us as soon as possible. The sooner we know about your injury and the extent of it, the sooner we can get you back on track. We want you to have a beautiful smile on and off the field!