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National Facial Protection Month
National Facial Protection Month
April 1
National Facial Protection Month
National Facial Protection Month takes place in April. Organizations encourage children and adults to enjoy the pleasures of the season by using common sense. Organizations also suggest taking the necessary precautions to prevent sports injuries.
National Facial Protection Month reminds both children and adults that to protect their face and head. As you suit up for outdoor activities this spring, don’t forget your mouth guard. Many oral and facial injuries can be easily prevented with the use of sports safety equipment. These include helmets and mouth guards.
April is National Facial Protection Month
Have you ever watched a high-action sport and seen a tough collision or a player in pain? While much of their uniforms include protective gear for their legs, arms, and head, there is one important piece of equipment that should never be ignored or forgotten. That is a mouth guard. National Facial Protection Month is a time where the American Dental Association, the American Association of Orthodontists, and many other academies and associations discuss the importance of staying safe and protecting your teeth by wearing a mouth guard.
A mouth guard, also known as a mouth protector, helps cushion any blows to the face. This minimizes the risk of chipped or broken teeth. It also helps prevent injuries to the lips, tongue, cheek, or jaw. And it gives the extra protection you need to maintain your healthy smile while staying active.
Those are only some of the sports that require this athletic piece of equipment. There are numerous other sports where players can experience this kind of trauma. So it’s important to protect your smile at all costs.
National Facial Protection Month and Mouth Guards
Custom-made mouth guards are the ideal choice for any sport. Your teeth will properly fit in place, there’ll be no movement or shifting when wearing the custom mouth guard, and it’ll provide the utmost comfort. There are other options for mouth guards, including a stock version or a boil-and-bite version.
According to the ADA and the AOO, children between the ages of 7 and 11 are the most vulnerable to sports-related mouth injuries. This is a great time to introduce children to sports and see if they would like to pursue them in the future. Parents need to be sure to share their knowledge of mouth guards, like why they’re important to wear during sports. They can protect a child’s smile now and in the future. Athletes are at least 60% more likely to suffer from a dental injury if they’re not wearing a mouth guard.
Are Mouth Guards required to be worn during NBA games?
When it comes to league policy, there is currently no mandate that requires NBA players to wear mouth guards during games. It is based on preference. Look at Steph Curry. He sets a great example about wearing a mouth guard.
When Did Players Start Wearing Mouth Guards?
Mouth guards were first introduced to the sports scene in 1890 when Woolf Krause, a dentist from London, created the “gum shield.” It was designed for boxers. But as more sports popularized and evolved, the use of mouth guards grew. Soon football and basketball players began to wear mouth guards.
In the 1950s, the American Dental Association (ADA) began to research the benefits of wearing mouth protection during contact sports, uncovering that dental injuries by athletes dropped significantly if they used a mouth guard.
As a result, the ADA began to suggest that athletes (in non-contact and contact sports) wear mouth guards while competing in the following 26 sports: acrobatics, basketball, bicycling, boxing, equestrian, football, gymnastics, handball, ice hockey, inline skating, lacrosse, martial arts, racquetball, rugby, shot put, skateboarding, skiing, skydiving, soccer, softball, squash, surfing, volleyball, water polo, weightlifting and wrestling.
The first basketball player to strut the protective mouth gear was Dick Perry, a player on the UCLA Bruins from the 1940s.
During David Stern’s tenure as NBA commissioner, mouth guard use in the league skyrocketed after Stern concluded that the number of elbows thrown during games was uncanny.
Which NBA Players Wear Mouth Guards?
We know Curry wears a mouth guard, but who else? Here are some other notable NBA players who wear the protective gear:
- LeBron James
- Blake Griffin
- Rajon Rondo
Why Does Steph Curry Chew on his Mouth Piece?
Curry claims that chewing on the guard puts him at peace and keeps him calm in the midst of intensity on the court, especially when he is at the free throw line.
The Golden State star began strutting a mouth piece when he endured a mouth injury during his stint at Davidson College. Ever since, he has continued to sport a mouthpiece.
