As April is National Facial Protection Month, we at Wilson Orthodontics want to share some helpful tips on choosing a mouth guard.

When selecting a mouth guard the most important thing is fit. It should stay securely in place during your activities and you should be able to breath and talk comfortably.

There are three basic categories of mouth guards.

1. Off the Shelf Guards; these are relatively inexpensive and are preformed and come ready to wear.

2. Boil and Bite Guards; these are a step up from the off the shelf guards because you'll get a better fit by boiling to soften the material and then biting into it to form it around your teeth.

3. Custom Mouth Guards; these are the best and most expensive type and usually come from your Dentist. They require impressions of your teeth and are custom made just for your bite.

People with Braces can only wear one kind of mouth guard it's specially made so that it protects the teeth and mouth from injury that could be caused by the braces if hit, while not forming to the teeth since the teeth are constantly changing while in braces.

Here at Dr. Wilson's office we offer our patients mouth guards free of charge!

Without proper protection you greatly increase your chances of injury, so come visit us at Wilson Orthodontics for your very own mouth guard!

--Pam, Orthodontic Assistant

Yes it's true "April Showers Bring May Flowers;" however, did you know that it also brings "National Facial Protection Month"? The American Association of Orthodontics recommends the "Top 10 ways to Save Face". Notice that the first one is to wear a mouth guard!

Dental injuries are the most common type of injury sustained during sports activities. It is estimated by the American Dental Association that mouth guards prevent approximately 200,000 injuries each year in High School and College football alone!

Should you experience a facial injury and a permanent tooth is knocked out you can pick the tooth up by the crown of the tooth--not the root--and rinse it clean with water or milk; but do not store it in water store it only in milk!

Recent studies have shown that the best chances of saving the tooth is to have it safely and properly placed back into the socket within a window of time between 5 minutes to 1 hour. So you should see your Dentist as soon as you can!

However, if you should knock out a baby tooth, you can leave it out; oh, but don’t forget to put it under your pillow for the Tooth Fairy!

You get one set of permanent teeth, so take care of them!

Have fun, stay active, but be safe and guard your teeth and protect your Smile; especially the one we at Wilson Orthodontics help you create! And if you need a mouth guard, remember we give them to our Wilson Orthodontics patients for free!

--Pam, Orthodontic Assistant