Fall is here and with it comes sports and oral injuries, many of which can be corrected with dental veneers. It is so common for athletes to have their teeth knocked out or broken that the American Dental Association has advocated athletes wearing mouth guards in order to prevent these injuries. In fact, over 200,000 high school and college football injuries are prevented every year due to mouth guards. This gives a glimpse into how many athletes end up in the dentist chair with a cracked tooth.
Fortunately, we can repair our patient’s teeth to their full functionality using a variety of cosmetic dentistry techniques. This is important because in the past when someone injured a tooth there was a high likelihood that the tooth would need to be pulled or that it would become infected. Now, this is very rarely necessary thanks to modern dental techniques.
One of the most common ways for restoring a damaged tooth is to use dental veneers. A veneer is a thin shell that is placed on top of the existing tooth and can be used to fix one that has been cracked or chipped. As an athlete, it doesn’t take much to chip a tooth. A recreational softball game is a lot of fun in the spring and summer, but it easy to get distracted and have a flying ball accidentally collide with your face. These are the types of accidents that are extremely common, no matter how careful you are. If this happens to you, call us right away to schedule an appointment so that your life isn’t interrupted due to a damaged tooth.
How the process works.
After an injury, we will examine your teeth and let you know what steps we recommend for repairing it. If dental veneers are the best option, we will take a mold of your mouth so that a permanent veneer can be created in a lab. The veneer will match the size, shape, and color of your other teeth so that it blends in perfectly. In the meantime, we will prepare the tooth by removing a portion of the enamel from the surface. This is done so that when the veneer is placed, it will lay flat with the gums and not stick out in any way. It can take a few weeks for the dental lab to create your veneer so during this time frame a temporary one will be worn. The temporary is attached using glue that is meant to come off, so you have to be careful with what you eat, how hard you brush your teeth and your activity level. As an athlete, you may need to take it easy for a couple of weeks but we can advise you further after discussing what sports you are involved in.
Once the permanent veneer is ready, you will come back to our office so that we can remove the temporary at bond the permanent one to your existing tooth. The result is a beautiful looking, natural tooth that is also durable. This allows you to get back to the game without worrying about your teeth.
