How important is your smile to you? Now, how important is playing the game of rugby to you? Some would say the latter is much more important than a perfect row of shiny white chicklets. This is usually a good state of mind to be in as your teeth are often in jeopardy when playing this rough and tumble game.
With all those elbows, knees and heads flying everywhere in a scrum, and all the tackling that takes place out of it, you can see how a tooth could suffer a chip, or even pop right out. Are mouthguards enough to protect your chompers? We'll find out in this post – stay tuned.
How effective are mouthguards?
A mouthguard is used to not only protect your teeth and gums from the onslaught of full-grown men trying to throw their bodyweight on you, but it also helps protect yourself from a concussion. If your jaw slams down hard enough, you could shatter some teeth, tremors which also reverberate into your skull. You can find "boil-and-bite" mouthguards at your nearest drugstore, but these can be relatively uncomfortable.
Your teeth and jaw are uniquely different to the guy in the line-up next to you, so it's important that you head to the dentist to find your best, most effective fit. A trip to the dentist brings us to our next point.
Get regular dental check-ups
An important part of ensuring your teeth are firmly rooted in your gum is a visit to City Dentists! If teeth have started to move and put pressure on other teeth, you could risk that pressure eventually create soreness or chipping. A regular check-up will help catch other problems like gum disease or root canals which could ultimately make playing the game uncomfortable. No one wants to worry about their tooth falling out because of gum disease when they get tackled. That will lead to you flinching when you're about to be tackled, and that won't look good with your teammates, now will it?
If you do suffer a toothy mishap on the field, don't let it go untreated long, chips and cracks can be repaired if you act fast! Head to City Dentists for an emergency dental appointment to get it fixed up with plenty of time to spare before your next rugby match.