If you're also following the Beijing Winter Olympics, you've probably noticed a scene where skiers cheer after completing the race, showing their colorful teeth in their mouths, and different athletes are different in color. What is that? Looks a little cool?
On February 16, at the Winter Olympics, China's Qi Guangpu celebrated after completing the action. (Xinhua News Agency photo)
Another close-up. (Xinhua News Agency photo)
Yu Lina, deputy chief physician of the Department of Oral Prevention of the Affiliated Stomatological Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, explained to the Reporter of Guangzhou Daily Xinhuacheng that skiers have colored teeth because they wear sports dental guards.
"National ice and snow fever" is coming, and the ridicule of "300 million people on ice and snow, 30 million in orthopedics" makes everyone pay more attention to the accidental injuries in ice and snow sports while feeling the speed and passion of skiing. Yu Lina reminded that strenuous sports such as skiing and basketball are easy to fall, in addition to fractures, ligament joint injuries, there may also be dental trauma, that is, tooth breakage, tooth loss and so on. Wearing a sports goggle during exercise protects the brain by buffering, reducing the chance of oral tissue damage and reducing the severity of injury.
What is a Sports Dental Guard?
Sports Mouthguard (Sports Mouthguard), also known as "sports braces", "and our common clinical orthodontic teeth used in the braces are different, but also different from the crown restoration," Yu Lina explained, "it is a kind of impact-resistant elastic cushion, when the external force acts on the cheeks and lower parts, the sports teeth worn in the mouth can absorb and redistribute the strength, athletes can also increase the strength of the whole body muscles when biting it, to help them play the best level of competition, Get better results. ”
"Sports dental goggles allow us to cushion the unexpected impacts on the maxillofacial and teeth during high-intensity and direct confrontational exercises, protect the brain, reduce the chance of oral tissue damage, and reduce the severity of injuries." It can be said that the sports guard is the 'guardian spirit' of the teeth during exercise," Yu Lina said.
Dr. Cheng Zhexian of the Department of Oral Prevention pointed out that unlike other types of trauma, sports trauma to the oral and maxillofacial areas can be effectively prevented by various means. The study found that without preventive measures during exercise, maxillofacial sports trauma occurred 7 times more likely than the use of protective devices. In football, for example, if oral braces are not used to prevent trauma, crown breakage and tooth loosening occur at least twice as often as precautions.
So, when do you need to wear a sports goggle? The American Dental Association recommends that the general public, like athletes, should use sports braces when participating in sports such as acrobatics, handball, skydiving, basketball, ice hockey, rugby, cycling, track skating, softball, boxing, lacrosse, squash, equestrianism, technical blows (martial arts, judo, and karate), surfing, extreme sports, short net squash, volleyball, athletics, water polo, hockey, shot put, weightlifting, soccer, skateboarding, Wrestling, gymnastics, skiing, etc.
How should sports dental guards be selected?
Yu Lina pointed out that the ideal sports tooth guard should have the following characteristics: it has a protective function, anti-external impact force; elastic cushioning effect; comfortable, does not affect pronunciation; odorless and tasteless; reasonable price, easy to make.
Ouyang Zhaoguang introduced that the materials currently used to make sports guard teeth are mainly polymer materials EVA (Ethylenevinyl acetate, ethyl thin acetate), which are mainly divided into the following 3 types:
(1) Pre-formed type: for non-customized finished products, selected according to the size of the personal arch, the matching degree is relatively poor, and the sports oral medicine association generally does not recommend it.
(2) Oral bite synthetic type: refers to the first heating of the material, soft and then placed in the mouth, in the mouth to press out the braces. The degree of matching with teeth is higher than that of pre-formed braces, the price is slightly higher, the protection is stronger, and it is the most popular braces on the market at present, basically ordinary enthusiasts and semi-professional athletes use this braces.
(3) Customized: Customized sports braces are the most recommended by dentists, made by professional doctors through the digital 3D scanning of personal teeth and arch forms in the mouth, with accurate positioning, stable wearing, comfort and other characteristics, can effectively prevent sports damage to the oral and jaw system, and even add various colors according to personal preferences to meet fashion needs.
"We see athletes wearing different colors and distinctive sports braces, which is this kind of custom braces." Ouyang Zhaoguang said.
Intraoral scan image (courtesy of the hospital surveyed)
In different sports, the thickness of customized sports teeth protection is also different. Yu Lina mentioned, "The thickness of sports teeth protection is determined by the gender and weight of the athletes, the degree of confrontation of sports, etc., and generally 2mm+ 2mm laminated teeth protection can be used. Men's ice hockey, men's short track speed skating, men's bobsleigh, etc. require 2mm +4mm or 3mm+3mm laminated teeth protection, and boxing and basketball need thicker competitions. ”
Sporty teeth need to be replaced regularly
For the precautions for the use of wearing sports teeth, Yu Lina reminded, "Sports teeth are not customized for lifelong use, need to be checked and replaced regularly, at least once every 6 months, for those with high frequency of use or in the peak period of growth and development, even need to be replaced every 3 months." Because the sports guard teeth will wear out continuously during use, the protective effect will be reduced. If it is used by adolescents, their oral structure is still growing and changing, parents should observe regularly, once there is difficulty wearing, heavy wear and material hardening, it needs to be replaced in time. ”
In addition, it is also necessary to do a good job in the cleaning and care of sports teeth protection, clean with cool water before and after use, clean with toothbrush and toothpaste if necessary, avoid using hot water, alcohol, sun and other ways of disinfection, and usually put it in a special container to save to avoid pressure deformation. Replace as soon as it is deformed.
In short, Yu Lina suggested: "The maxillary incisors are the most vulnerable teeth in the mouth, but the damage may cause tooth breakage, tooth misalignment, tooth loss, soft tissue tearing, etc., whether it is athletes or we ordinary people, when participating in confrontation or impact sports, we should try to wear sports teeth guards to protect our dental health." ”
Text/Guangzhou Daily, Xinhua city reporter Wu Wanhong, correspondents Zhang Manli, Li Yaowen, Guo Qianqian
Some of the images are provided by the hospital (unless signed)
Li Jin, editor of Guangzhou Daily Xinhuacheng