Hello, and Happy October to everyone that reads our blog. Also, to all of our patients, Happy National Orthodontic Health Month! Yes, there is such a thing, and October happens to be the month.

For our younger patients, Im sure this month finds you back in the swing of things with school and all of your extracurricular activities. It seems like just about everyone is participating in athletics, (Ive heard of people playing football, baseball, softball, soccer, field hockey, and horseback riding, just to name a few), so I would be remiss as a dental professional if I didnt mention the need for a sports mouth guard. Although it may seem self-explanatory, athletes wearing sports mouth guards show a statistically significant reduction in sports-related dental and soft tissue injuries. For sporting activities that are inherently contact-oriented (e.g., football), faceguards are also appropriate for added safety and protection. The ADA (American Dental Association) has endorsed the preventive value helmets, faceguards and mouth protectors, for use by participants in sporting and recreational activities with some degree of injury risk and at all levels of competition.

Therefore, as a service to our patients and the community, we here at L&M are offering custom made mouth guards. Although you can always buy a mouth guard at any sporting goods store (and something is definitely better than nothing), we in the dental community advocate the use of a custom made mouth guard. If you have any questions about what a custom made mouth guard is, and why we feel it is better than a run-of-the-mill mouth guard, here is a link to an article written by a dentist in Chadds Ford, PA: http://www.unionvilletimes.com/?p=4131. If you, or any of your friends, have any interest in having a custom mouth guard made, give us a call at the office.

Lastly, Happy Halloween everyone! Enjoy all that candy, but make sure you avoid the sticky, chewy stuff if you have braces, and always clean your teeth afterwards. Have a safe and fun holiday!