Health: Mouth Guards

PHILADELPHIA Parents with children on sports teams know how expensive all that protective gear can be. But one item is often overlooked and one bad play could mean a dental disaster that could cost thousands. Medical reporter Stephanie Stahl has the details.

The local baseball diamond is where young athletes fall in love with America's favorite pastime. But it's also where kids can do some serious damage to their smiles.

"Baseball to the mouth, got the one tooth clean. Broke it off," Dentist Jeffrey Tocci said.

Dr. Tocci said a baseball to the mouth can break off teeth. He sees injuries like that all of the time. And in many cases, a mouth guard could have saved the tooth.

"30 to 50 percent of the injuries are preventable," Dr. Tocci said.

Most baseball leagues encourage kids to wear mouth guards, but they don't require it. And when given a choice, most kids pass.

"They are not really comfortable. They're not fun to wear," one baseball player said.

"I just don't like them," another baseball player said.

"That's like my biggest fear, getting hit in the face," a third player said.

Fixing an injury like this is not only traumatic for the child. It can also be expensive. Most dental insurance won't cover the entire cost of these kinds of major repairs.

"It can easily get up into the level of 10 to 20 thousand dollars," Dr. Tocci said.

Many times the mouth injuries that children suffer come from non-contact sports.

"You wear helmets and knee pads and elbow pads when you roller blade and bicycle. We recommend mouthguards for the same reason," Dr. Tocci said.

You can get inexpensive mouth guards at a sporting good store for less than $20. But dentists say custom made mouth guards work best. They cost about $200.


source:cbs3.com