April is National Facial Protection Month
Dr. Okubo would like to remind his patients that April is “National Facial Protection Month.”
As the weather warms up and we all become more active indoors and out, especially with the beginning the sports season, we need to take the time to protect ourselves from facial trauma.
It is estimated that “about 2 percent of all children or adolescents who participate in sports eventually will suffer a facial injury severe enough to require medical attention.”*
Dr. Okubo offers custom fitted mouthguards that protect the teeth from being knocked out, broken and displaced. Mouthguards may also prevent injuries to the supporting bone around your teeth.
Here are 5 Tips that will help prevent facial injuries.
- Make protective gear mandatory for all sports.
Most contact sports today require you to wear a mouthguard but often times we forget to wear them while we practice. Let make it our goal this year to never forget to wear our custom mouthguards from Dr. Okubo’s office. - Wear a helmet: Helmets absorb the energy of an impact and help prevent damage to the head.
- Wear protective eyewear: Eyes are extremely vulnerable to damage, especially when playing sports.
- Wear a mouth guard when playing contact sports: Mouth guards are significantly less expensive than the cost to repair an injury, and dentists and dental specialists can make customized mouth guards that hold teeth in place and allow for normal speech and breathing.
- Wear a face shield to avoid scratched or bruised skin: Hockey pucks, basketballs and racquetballs can cause severe facial damage at any age.
Jake
Patient Relations
(*Source)