Strong Body, Mind & Smile: Why Athletes Should Care About Their Oral Health
Athletes of all ages focus on keeping their bodies healthy, but all too often, the push to become a high-performing athlete can have a significant impact on a person’s oral health. This article will focus on how diet choices during training can impact your teeth and how you can prevent dental injuries while active in sports. That’s a lot to chew on, so let’s get started!
Are Sports Drinks Really Helping or Hurting?
You don’t have to look far at your local soccer, baseball, or football field to notice coolers packed full of sports drinks. Major professional teams often have giant containers full of these beverages on the sidelines. While they are promoted as drinks specially formulated to fuel athlete’s bodies and improve performance while maintaining hydration, many contain ingredients that are harmful to your teeth.
Many popular sports drinks contain high levels of sugar. It is well known that sugary drinks and foods are a major cause of cavities. Because of this, many people turn to the sugar-free options those same popular brands offer, but even these varieties can be bad news for your teeth.
While it is true that carbohydrates (sugars) cause cavities, the reason is actually due to the tooth structure being broken down by acid. According to the National Institutes of Health, popular sports drinks such as Gatorade and Powerade are acidic enough to break down the enamel of your teeth. This softens and weakens the surface and causes a phenomenon known as ‘erosion’ to occur – even when the products contain no sugar at all.
The same is true for the sports chews and gels that athletes often use for sustained energy during long training sessions and events. Many of these carry high levels of sugar and citric acid. The combination of acid (which softens teeth) and sugar (which further drives up the acidity in the mouth) can lead to athletes developing cavities at an alarming rate.
Every time you sip a drink or eat a bite of food, your teeth are attacked by acid for 20-30 minutes (source: American Dental Association). So if you frequently sip a sports drink during workouts, your teeth are being attacked for the entire duration of that workout plus nearly thirty minutes after you finish your drink. As far as your teeth are concerned, you are better off consuming the entire drink in a single sitting as opposed to sipping on it for hours on end.
How Do We Minimize the Risk of Cavities in Sports?
One of the most important ways to protect your teeth against the damages of sports drinks and foods is by limiting the amount of time your teeth are in contact with these items. Drinking water immediately after consuming these foods/drinks can help buffer the acidity of your mouth. And consuming water as your main source of hydration (especially when you are not actively working out) will avoid many hours of acid attacks during the week.
It is also important to wait 20-30 minutes before brushing your teeth after you eat or drink anything that is acidic. This is because we do not want to brush when the teeth are in their ‘softer’ state – as this can further wear down the teeth. When brushing, make sure you use a toothpaste that contains either fluoride or hydroxyapatite, as those two ingredients are some of the only studied ingredients that can re-mineralize damaged enamel. This makes the teeth harder and stronger after exposure to acids.
Sports drinks are everywhere in our culture. They fill supermarket aisles, convenience store shelves, and are highly advertised in the world of professional sports. While they are touted for their health benefits, remember that one of the best sources of hydration remains from drinking plain water. They have their place when pushing your body to the extreme, but if you rely on them for daily hydration you are putting your teeth at serious risk of erosion and cavities.
Can Athletes Prevent Dental Injuries in Sports?
Dental injuries are incredibly common in sports. The National Institutes of Health estimates that 10-61% of athletes experience dental injuries. Contact sports such as basketball, football, and martial arts see the highest rates of dental injuries (including fractures and loss of teeth). Many professional athletes wear mouth guards to protect their teeth against trauma from impacts. But while it is more common for adults to wear protective mouth guards, children are especially at risk. Sports-related dental injuries are incredibly common in children, with most dental injuries happening around age 12 (source: National Institutes of Health).
Despite these risks, less than one in four children use mouth guards during sports. Mouth guards reduce the severity of injuries by cushioning impacts and spreading the forces out across a larger area. Wearing a mouth guard can mean the difference between an elbow to the face causing minor damage or completely losing a tooth.
Choosing The Right Mouth Guard for Your Athlete
If you have a young child who is involved in sports, talk with your dentist about options for mouth guards. If your child is still losing their baby teeth, their mouth is rapidly changing and an over-the-counter guard may be the best option. For contact sports that do not wear a helmet (flag football, for example), there are guards that also protect the lips from trauma.
For older children or adults with all of their adult teeth, a custom made guard from your dentist often provides the most superior fit and protection against sports-related dental injuries. Custom made guards allow for easier talking and breathing, as there is no excess of material like some of the over-the-counter options often have.
There are even a few ‘smart’ mouth guards coming to the market in recent years. These can track your vitals, body movement, and head impacts during workouts or competition and send the information to a mobile app for later review.
If you are in sports and have questions about how a guard could help you, ask us at Sensational Smiles how we can help prevent your teeth from sports-related injuries!
