Winter sports season is in full swing across West Michigan. The Grand Valley Amateur Hockey Association serves players from Grandville, Holland, Zeeland, Byron Center, and surrounding communities, with home games at Griff’s Georgetown in Hudsonville. Over in Holland, the West Michigan Ice Dogs keep Griff’s IceHouse West busy with house and travel teams. Add in high school basketball and wrestling programs, and there are thousands of young athletes competing every week.
All that athletic activity is great for fitness and team building, but it creates specific concerns for athletes in orthodontic treatment. Each winter sport presents its own risks to braces, and understanding those risks helps families prepare properly.
Why Mouthguards Matter More With Braces
A properly fitted mouthguard is essential for any contact sport athlete, but it becomes even more critical when brackets and wires are involved. A blow to the mouth without protection can cause:
- Cut lips and cheeks from metal brackets
- Damaged or broken brackets
- Bent wires that poke soft tissue
- Tooth injuries that complicate treatment for months
The mouthguard creates a buffer between the soft tissue of your mouth and the orthodontic hardware, distributing impact force and preventing the kind of lacerations that send families to the emergency room.
Hockey: The Highest Risk
Hockey is the most obvious concern. Between pucks, sticks, boards, and other players, there’s a lot of hard contact happening at high speeds. No hockey player with braces should ever step on the ice without a mouthguard. The combination of speed, hard objects, and frequent collisions makes facial injuries a real and regular occurrence.
Basketball: More Dangerous Than It Looks
Basketball might seem lower-risk since there’s no equipment flying around, but the sport actually accounts for a surprising number of dental injuries. Elbows during rebounds, collisions going for loose balls, and accidental contact during drives to the basket all happen regularly.
Most basketball players don’t wear mouthguards, which is unfortunate. For athletes with braces, the protection far outweighs the minor adjustment period of getting used to wearing one.
Wrestling: Sustained Close Contact
Wrestling presents unique challenges because of the sustained close contact and frequency of face-to-mat situations. Wrestlers with braces need mouthguards that stay securely in place during intense physical exertion and don’t interfere with breathing.
The good news is that modern orthodontic mouthguards are designed with exactly these demands in mind.
Why Ortho Designed Mouthguards Beat Store-Bought
Dr. Porto recommends mouthguards that are specifically designed for orthodontic patients rather than the boil-and-bite versions from sporting goods stores. Here’s why:
- Generic mouthguards rarely fit well around brackets and often feel bulky
- Poor fit can cause more irritation than it prevents
- Breathing is restricted with ill-fitting guards
- Guards designed for orthodontic patients allow tooth movement, since teeth are continuously moving during treatment.
Ready to Protect Your Athlete’s Smile?
If your child is competing this winter and doesn’t have a proper mouthguard, schedule an appointment at our Grandville or Holland location. We can discuss the best protection options for their specific sport and orthodontic situation.
Questions about mouthguards for winter sports? Contact Enjoy Orthodontics to schedule an appointment and keep your athlete’s smile protected all season long.
