Springfield, Missouri Dentist Offers Custom Mouth Guards For Best Dental Protection

Barnett-Davis Dental Group, a Springfield, Missouri dentistry practice, offers patients high-quality, custom mouth guards to help them stay safe and protect their face during sports practices and games.

Springfield Missouri (I-Newswire) September 16, 2012 - Many fall athletic programs have already begun practicing, but Barnett-Davis Dental Group is reminding athletes and their parents to check mouth guards for proper fit and signs of wear during National Childhood Injury Prevention Week.

"Most sports-related traumatic injuries to the mouth can be prevented with protective gear," said Dr. Kelly Barnett, a Springfield Missouri dentist.

The annual initiative takes place the first week of September, and it promotes the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons recommendation of using mouth guards for children and adults participating in sports that involve falls, body contact or flying equipment.

"That means everything from football, wrestling and baseball to hockey, skateboarding and mountain biking," said Dr. Tracy Davis, an Ozark dentures provider.

Injuries to the mouth and face have long-term consequences for oral health, so it is important to prevent damage and avoid those problems with a well-fitted, customized mouth guard like the ones offered at the Springfield Missouri dentistry practice.

The financial repercussion of a dental injury resulting in a knocked out permanent tooth can be pricey. The average cost of treatment and lifetime follow-up care for one tooth is $5,000 to $20,000," said Dr. Nick Matthews, a Nixa teeth whitening dentist.

Although there are inexpensive mouth guards like stock and boil-and-bite in retail stores, custom-made mouth guards are the most comfortable. A good mouth guard or performance wear mouth piece should be resilient and tear-resistant, and it should never hinder speech or breathing. They need to be checked each season for a proper fit and any signs of wear or tear. Children's mouths are still developing, changing size and shape, so their mouth guards need to be periodically replaced.

"Mouth guards have to be worn during every practice and game to be most effective. A top of the line, customized mouth guard can't protect them when it's stuffed in a gym bag or on the desk in their room," said Dr. Marc Barnett, Springfield MO dentist.

Learn More
To learn more about Barnett-Davis Dental Group, call (417) 581-3600.

About Barnett-Davis Dental Group
Drs. Marc and Kelly Barnett, Dr. Tracy Davis and Dr. Nick Matthews practice a full range of cosmetic and general dentistry in the Springfield, MO area. The dental group has been ranked as "Best of the Ozarks" by the Springfield News-Leader newspaper and "Top Dentists" by the local 417 Magazine.