Protect Your Teeth During Spring Training

Protect Your Teeth During Spring Training

The weather is warming up! This is the time of year many sports and physical activities begin. Spring training is a fun time for parents and kids of all ages. Whether you are out there joining a local league yourself or cheering for your child, remember that playing sports comes with certain risks. Make sure you know what to do to prevent and treat dental injuries and protect your teeth during spring training this season.

Staying Hydrated

Sports drinks have become a popular source of hydration for athletes during intense physical training. They are supposed to supply the athlete with much needed hydration. The problem is, along with the much needed electrolytes and carbohydrates, they also have high amounts of sugar and acid that are harmful to tooth enamel. Try drinking through a straw to keep the sugars and acid from coating your teeth. Also, rinsing with water helps dilute the sugar. Without dilution, bacteria that are left in the mouth have fuel in sugars. The best choice is to choose water every time.

Protect Your Teeth Against Injury

There is always the risk of getting hit with an elbow or equipment during competitions and practices. We recommend using mouth guards for protection against losing or chipping your teeth during physical activities. Most sporting goods stores have mouth guards in stock that are easy to fit. Mouth guards are there to protect your teeth from injury. However, if a permanent tooth does get knocked out, locate it quickly and see a dentist immediately. That tooth can survive if it is replaced in the socket within an hour. For more information about what to do in a dental emergency, read our article “What is Considered a Dental Emergency?”.

Whether you are a current patient of ours, or you are new to our Tampa office, South Tampa Smiles is available to help should you require emergency dental care. We will be happy to work you into our schedule the same day. If you have a dental emergency outside of our regular business hours, please call at (813)  289 – 0560 and leave us a message. We will return your call as quickly as possible.