Invented in 1982, PLAYSAFE has become the top choice in custom faricated mouthguards for athletes in Europe, Australia, and the United States. In 1985, PLAYSAFE mouthguards were tested and recommended for endorsement by the Australian Institute of Sport. Additionally, in late 1994, Professor Robert Burford in the Department of Polymer Science in Australia, found the breaking stress of the PLAYSAFE mouthguard was 9.5 Mpa (Megapascals), which exceeded the values of all other custom mouthguards tested!
Why Custom Fabricated Sports Mouthguards?
According to the American Dental Association, more than 200,000 oral injuries are prevented annually in this country by sports mouthguards. While this is an impressive preventative figure, it is unfortuantely estimated by the National Youth Sports Foundation that more than 5 million teeth will be knocked out in sporting activites this year. These oral traumas will happen to children, high school and college level athletes. In fact, dental injuries are the most common type of orofacial injury sustained during participation in sports.
The benefits of sports mouthguard protection has been well documented. In 1995 Dr. Raymond Flander's study on the high incidence of oral injuries showed that in football, where mouthguards are mandatory, only .07% of all injuries involved teeth and the oral cavity. Conversely, in basketball where mouthguards are not worn, 34% of all injuries to players involved teet and/or the oral cavity! Obviously dental injuries could also be significantly reduced if children, teenagers and adults involved in the following sports wore custom fabricated mouthguards: soccer, volleyball, baseball, softball, rollerblading, skateboarding, martial arts, boxing, hockey, kickboxing and mountain biking.
Back to the Table of ContentsThe Costs Of Sports Related Oral Injuries...
According to Dr. Ray Padilla, an active member in the Academy for Sports Dentistry, the lifetime dental rehabilitation costs can approach several thousand dollars per tooth, for the child or athlete who loses a tooth (or teeth) in a sporting injury. This does not include the associated costs of hours in the dental office and the possible development of secondary problems such as periodontal disease. The total rehabilitation costs for a single knocked-out tooth are more than 20 times the preventative cost for a custom laminated, professional grade mouthguard.
Back to the Table of ContentsThis Could Have Been Prevented!
Back to the Table of ContentsPrevention Of Oral Injuries Can Save You Thousands!
Back to the Table of ContentsSports Mouthguards Are Not All Created Equal!
Comparing dentist fabricated, custom sports mouthguards with stock or boil and bite type mouthguards, typicaly found in sporting goods stores, reveals significant differences. Boil and bite type mouthguards do not fit as accurately as custom fabricated types so they often are uncomfortable and frequently interfere eith the athletes breathing and speaking ability. At the First International Symposium on Dental Biomaterials in August of 1993, Dr. J. Park, PhD. reported that boil & bite mouthguards provide a false sense of protection due to the dramatic decrease in thickness when the athlete bites it into place during its softened state. Dr. Park further stated that unless dramatic improvements are made, they (boil and bite mouthguards) should not be promoted by dentists to their sporting patients.
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