March Madness or Mouthguard March?

We all know it is March Madness, but did you know players not only risk their team standing, they also risk their own smiles? That’s why mouthguards are so important for athletes. 

Did you see the December 2015 NBA game when the Atlanta Hawks’ Dennis Schroder smacked his mouth against another player’s knee? He then spit what seemed to be a tooth into his hand and stuck it down his sock and continued playing the game.  Turns out, Schroder had actually knocked a veneer loose, but he still intended to visit the dentist as soon as possible.
 
The Miami Heat’s Goran Dragic wasn’t so lucky. In a game just before the Schroder incident, Dragic took an elbow to the mouth and lost part of a front tooth. Dragic’s dentist a few days later placed a crown on that tooth.
 
So what is the message? These players weren’t wearing mouthguards. If they had been, they may not have needed dental work. Wearing mouthguards can help prevent broken teeth, jaw injuries and cuts to the lips and tongue.
 
So who does wear mouthguards in professional sports? Boston Red Sox catcher Blake Swihart never goes behind the plate without one. And the Boston Bruins use our own Delta Dental mouthguards! Check them out during episodes of Bruins Academy. In this year’s third episode, watch the Bruins’ dentist and Adam McQuaid talk about why you, too, should wear a mouthguard when you play sports (segment at minute 2:40).