If you have experienced a sports injury, dental veneers can be the solution you have been looking for. A veneer can restore a tooth that has been cracked or chipped while giving it a completely natural appearance. The majority of teeth that are injured are in the front, so looking natural is extremely important for your smile.

Sports injuries are fairly common and represent 40% of tooth injuries in adults. This is a significant number considering that most adults don’t even play organized sports. An injury can happen during a family softball game or pickup game of basketball. Whether you play on a regular basis or not, it is important to protect your teeth from injury.

The first way to do so is to keep your teeth healthy. The healthier your teeth are, the less likely they are to become damaged during a sports accident. You can keep your teeth in good health by brushing with fluoride toothpaste throughout the day. Teeth are made of enamel and minerals. Over time, the minerals start to wear away which weakens teeth. When you brush with fluoride, you are helping to re-mineralize your teeth and to strengthen them. Eating a healthy diet that contains nuts, veggies, lean protein, and dairy will also help with this process. Whether you wear dental veneers or have a full set of natural teeth, the stronger your teeth are, the better.

It is also important to have your teeth cleaned at least twice a year so that we can remove any bacteria and plaque that has become trapped in hard to reach places. If we identify any cavities we can treat them right away before the infection can spread. These activities will keep your teeth in good health so that you can avoid an accident. If you combine them with wearing a mouth guard during practice and at the game, your chance of injury will be significantly reduced.

If your tooth becomes injured anyway – call a cosmetic dentist. We have many ways for restoring our patient’s teeth in both appearance and functionality. Cosmetic dentistry does more than make teeth appear beautiful. We are primarily concerned with how teeth function and keeping them healthy. Being able to create a natural and beautiful looking tooth is an added bonus. One of the ways that we do so is by using dental veneers. This is a thin shell that we can place over the top of a natural tooth in order to restore it after becoming cracked or chipped. The veneer itself is made in a dental lab so that the size, shape, and color is a perfect match for the surrounding teeth. When a tooth is more severely damaged, cracked, or a piece is missing – a dental crown can be worn in order to provide more strength and stability.

As a cosmetic dentist, we are proud of what we do and how we can help athletes to restore a smile that has become damaged. If this has happened to you, give us a call. We will be happy to discuss the options for correcting your tooth.