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Kids' Health

Watch your mouth! Being involved with sports can lead to dental injury

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Children’s dental injuries are often associated with football or hockey, but other sports, such as baseball and soccer, can present just as big a risk. In fact, soccer players are approximately 8 times more likely to suffer dental injuries compared with football players, and nearly 20% of baseball players will experience a dental injury, says the American Association of Endodontists (AAE).      The AAE urges young athletes to “watch their mouth” when playing sports. Coaches and parents should enforce mouth-guard use to help protect athletes’ natural teeth. Mouth-guard usage prevents an estimated 200,000 injuries a year, says the AAE. When a tooth is knocked out, take the following steps to preserve the natural tooth: > Pick up the tooth by the chewing surface, not the root. > If the tooth is dirty, gently rinse with water. > Reposition the tooth in the socket, if possible.   > Keep the tooth moist.    > See an endodontist within 30 minutes.

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