How To Protect Your Teeth When Playing Sports

Whether you enjoy spending your weekends playing a friendly soccer match at the local club, are an athlete of a demanding sport, or have children partaking in school sports such as martial arts, rugby, etc., one thing is for certain: our overall active lives have changed dramatically with us being more involved than ever before.

Figures collected by the Australian Department of Health from 2022 to 2023 revealed that approximately 90% of adults partake in sports at least once a year. That is a whopping 13.5 million adults and 3.6 million children taking part in at least one sport each year. For many households, sports season and training is an all-year-round commitment!

With those numbers in mind, the incidence of negative exposures and consequences to oral health and teeth also increases, which brings us to the topic of protecting teeth when playing sports. It is not uncommon for teeth to be subjected to injury, and they can actually be damaged in more ways than one. Keeping them safe and healthy when on or off the field is important for overall health and, in most cases, requires simple methods.

Oral health in this vast age group between primary school ages to adulthood has always been a point of concern for dental health professionals, school coaches and concerned parents and adults alike. With the sporting season, certain conditions are at a higher risk of developing due to the nature of the season and its requirements; understanding the basic elements of why and how to keep your teeth safe starts here.

Why Protect Your Oral Health During Sporting Season?

In recent dental reviews, sporting activities have been considered a risk factor for the onset of many dental conditions that are otherwise generally avoidable, making it pertinent to protect teeth when playing sports. There are a number of ways that teeth can be affected, specifically during the sporting season, which include:

Erosion

This term refers to a phenomenon related to mainly sports drinks and teeth. The outer hard layer of teeth, known as the enamel, softens due to repeated exposure to acids from sports drinks and acidic foods. This then reveals the softer inner layer of the teeth, known as dentine, and makes the teeth vulnerable to further damage as the tooth structure has weakened. This dentine layer can be subjected to abrasion by brushing the teeth, often leaving teeth sensitive to cold foods, drinks and even air. It also provides easy access to bacteria, which can lead to dental decay.

Dental decay

Due to the high sugar content in most sports drinks, supplements, and even orange wedges, teeth are readily and frequently exposed to sugar. The sugar in these products feeds the bacteria in the mouth. When the bacteria feed on the sugars, they release acids. These acids soften tooth structure in a way similar to erosion and allow the bacteria to travel further into the tooth, eventually forming a cavity that will need to be restored.

Trauma

The nature of sports is unpredictable, and it often takes one blow or a quick force to cause damage to teeth and their supporting structures. Teeth can fall out completely if this happens with enough force. They can also chip, break in half, and have fractures in their roots or around the bone encircling the teeth, which may cause the tooth to become loose.  In these situations a sports mouthguard would protect them in a similar way an airbag would protect a passenger in a car accident.

It is important to add that some people and children can suffer from a combination of these conditions and that the susceptibility of each individual depends on variable factors. These include:

• Diet
• Oral hygiene habits
• Genetic factors
• Age
• Medical history
• Medications
• Social Habits
• Regular dental check-ups

Bad Oral Health Habits During Sporting Season

The first thing to do when trying to fix or prevent a problem is to limit and remove its cause where possible. Most of these dental conditions arise from bad oral habits, and through education, awareness and regular dental check-ups, habits can be modified to protect oral health.

Examples of bad oral health habits during the sporting season include:

• Frequent and high consumption of sugary sports drinks without proper  aftercare
• Drinking sports drinks with a mouthguard on
• Not having adequate oral hygiene habits 
• Consuming sticky and high-sugar snacks between sporting intervals and matches
• Eating oranges or other highly acidic fruits
• Not wearing a sports mouthguard, especially when playing a contact sport

Minimising Dental Problems During Sporting Season

Employing these easy methods listed below relative to the age group and sport has a high potential to protect your teeth when playing sports:

Children and low-intensity sports

• Resort to fresh water for hydration rather than juices to avoid erosion and decay
• If your child needs or wants a snack, opt for a low-sugar, non-sticky food such as bananas or watermelon. Also, try to avoid sticky bars that will stick to the teeth or acidic fruits such as oranges.

Higher intensity/prolonged exercise

• Avoid consuming sports drinks with a mouthguard on, as this traps sugar around the teeth. Rinse your mouth out thoroughly with fresh water before reinserting your mouthguard.
• Try to opt for sugar-free or low-sugar sports drinks
• Try to limit the consumption and frequency of sports drinks in general if possible
• Using a straw is recommended rather than drinking sports drinks, intra-workout drinks, or soft drinks straight from the bottle, and avoid swishing them around your mouth
• Stay hydrated to avoid drying of the mouth, as saliva is important to protect teeth and neutralise the pH levels in your mouth
• After having consumed food or drink of an acidic nature, avoid brushing your teeth for at least 30 minutes after and use a fluoride-containing toothpaste afterwards
• Wear a sports mouthguard at all times when needed

General tips for maintaining oral health while exercising

• When preparing sports drinks from powders, make them correctly with cold water. Less water than specified will increase the concentration of the sugar, which may lead to tooth damage.
• Maintaining good hydration means better buffering of the acids in the mouth with good saliva flow, reducing the chances of erosion or decay.
• Use an appropriate level of toothpaste containing fluoride twice daily
• Don’t rinse your mouth with a sports drink; rinse it with fresh water instead.
• When using carbohydrate gels or lollies, drink water instead of sports drinks to dilute the concentrated sugar content.
• Brushing your teeth should be delayed for at least 30 minutes after consuming sports, intra-workout, or soft drinks to enable the tooth surface to reharden.
• Avoid consuming acidic foods or beverages immediately before bed.
• Floss once daily, preferably before brushing your teeth at night.
• Regular dental check-ups are important to detect dental conditions early, ensure preventive measures, restore oral health and for overall monitoring. Discuss your sporting, training, and hydration regime with your dentist to alert them of any issues and for preventative advice.

Book A Consultation with Admire Dentistry

There are numerous ways to protect teeth when playing sports; broadly speaking, it is a matter of correcting bad oral habits, being responsible for your oral health, and ensuring you are taking the right steps to ensure good practices. One way is to regularly visit a dental health practitioner to stay ahead of and correct conditions early rather than risking permanent or irreversible damage, and another is to invest in a proper sports mouthguard to protect teeth.

If you’re unsure how to start taking care of your teeth, book a consultation with Admire Dentistry today and let us take care of the rest.