In this article, Dr. Reem, a Certified Sports Team Dentist, explores how sports dentistry goes beyond sports mouthguards and shares insights from her interview with collegiate athlete Louis Bond on athlete wellness and injury prevention.
I recently had the honor of becoming a Certified Sports Team Dentist by the Academy for Sports Dentistry, ASD. For me, the journey into sport dentistry was about honoring health and building confidence for the growing children that we care for. Of course, when people think of a sports dentist, they often think of one thing: Sports mouthguards. However, there is much more to this aspect of oral care.
While protecting teeth during competition is certainly important, the role of a sports team dentist extends far beyond emergency care and protective appliances. Modern sports dentistry is increasingly becoming part of a larger conversation about athlete wellness, performance, dental injury prevention, and long-term oral health.
A few days ago, I had the opportunity to sit down with Louis, one of our Smiles Champions and a collegiate athlete, to learn more about life on a competitive sports team. What made the conversation especially meaningful is that I have cared for Louis since he was a toddler. Looking through old photographs, I was reminded of just how quickly childhood passes. One moment, we are celebrating a first dental visit; the next, we are discussing college athletics, training schedules, life as a young adult and 16 years of dental care!
Our conversation covered the tremendous amount of support athletes receive from coaches, trainers, sports medicine physicians, nutritionists, and strength and conditioning teams. But also highlight an area that is often overlooked: Dental health.
Sports Medicine and Dentistry: A Natural Partnership
Today’s athletes understand that peak performance requires attention to every aspect of health. Sleep, nutrition, hydration, strength training, recovery, and mental wellness all play a role in helping athletes perform at their highest level. Oral health should be no different.
Dental pain, untreated decay, gum inflammation, infections, breathing concerns, jaw discomfort, and dental trauma can all affect an athlete’s comfort, confidence, and overall well-being. While these issues may not always be visible on the field or court, they can have a significant impact on quality of life.
During our interview, Louis described the resources available to him as a collegiate athlete. His team places a strong emphasis on physical conditioning, recovery, nutrition, and overall wellness. Interestingly, he noted that while athletes often receive active support in many areas of healthcare, dentistry is not always a major component of the program. Fortunately, we’ve got him covered.
A Comprehensive Athlete Wellness Screening
When Louis visited our office last week, we approached his care much like a sports medicine evaluation.
Our assessment included:
- Comprehensive dental examination
• Digital radiographic imaging
• Intraoral scanning (IOS)
• Intraoral photography and documentation
• Evaluation of existing restorations and dental health
• Assessment of oral hygiene and preventive needs
• Discussion of sports participation and injury prevention
By combining digital imaging, photography, and 3D scanning technologies, we are able to create a detailed record of an athlete’s oral health while minimizing discomfort and maximizing efficiency. These records also serve as valuable baseline documentation should a sports-related injury ever occur.
Custom Protection for Growing Athletes
One of the most exciting aspects of modern sports dentistry is the ability to create fully customized sports guards and protective appliances. Using digital workflows and 3D printing technology in our in-house digital lab, we can design and fabricate sports guards tailored specifically to an athlete’s smile.
Studies have documented that custom sports guards show higher comfort and acceptance by the athletes that wear them. Typically, these appliances are pressure-formed over a dental model. The ability to personalize sports guards with custom colors and designs makes them even more appealing to younger athletes, helping encourage consistent use and long-term protection. Interestingly, many of our teen athletes are requesting clear sports guards. Teens that have had orthodontic aligner therapy seem to like the idea of a clear appliance more than a colored one.
However, with our SprintRay 3D printing ecosystem, and newly avialable sports guard resins, we have further evoloved this process into directly printing our sports guards using CAD/CAM design technology and digital workflows. Designing the appliances digitally allows for efficiency and exceptional fit and accuracy. Louis received two 3D printed sports guards. One in clear resin and another in a bright red color.
Our digital workflow includes:
- Digital oral scanning
• Computer-aided design CAD
• 3D printing
• Finishing and customization
• Final fit verification
Supporting the Whole Athlete
Collegiate athletes like Louis need to receive support for their overall health and performance. From nutrition and recovery to mental wellness and physical conditioning. We aim for dental care to be part of this whole-body approach.
The mouth is not separate from the body. Oral health influences overall health, comfort, confidence, communication, and quality of life. As sports dentistry continues to evolve, we have an opportunity to collaborate more closely with athletes, families, coaches, trainers, and sports medicine professionals to support health in a comprehensive and meaningful way.
When we think about athletic performance, we should think beyond muscles and conditioning. We should think about the whole person.
Looking Ahead
Looking through Louis’s childhood photographs while preparing this article, I was struck by how closely healthcare and human connection are intertwined. The images tell a story that spans years, from a young boy sitting in the dental chair to a disciplined collegiate athlete pursuing his goals.
Watching our patients grow from toddlers into accomplished young adults is one of the greatest privileges of my profession. Supporting athletes like Louis through preventive care, digital health monitoring, injury prevention, and custom sports guard fabrication is simply one extension of that journey.
Louis is now 19. We look forward to continuing to care for him for two more years before we graduate him to a general practice. At that time, we will have a complete file of accurate digital records that can serve as a basis for his oral health for years to come. I’m closely following his athletic becoming and we are all cheering him on.
Schedule your child’s first dental visit today! Contact us here.
