OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Fall sports are right around the corner, and one metro orthodontist office wants to make sure young athletes can protect their teeth this season.
Braces Omaha is hosting the fourth annual Defend Your Mouth Day, where local youth will receive free professionally fitted mouth guards and learn about the importance of mouth guard protection.
"I love kids, I love orthodontics, I like nice smiles, and I just like to preserve the smile,” Dr. Clarke Stevens said. “It's so tragic when someone breaks their teeth and they come in and have to have it repaired. If they totally knock the tooth out, it's a really difficult thing, too.”
“I just like teeth and smiles and really want to help kids and their parents out."
According to the American Dental Association, five million teeth are knocked out in the US each year.
Dr. Stevens says mouth guards protect you in just about any sport, and those who don’t wear mouth guards are 60 times more likely to fall victim to an oral injury.
"The American Dental Association says there's 29 different sports that people should be wearing them for,” Dr. Stevens said. “I saw a patient yesterday who is a cheerleader. She fell down from a lift and her face was bruised and cut, but she saved her teeth because she had her retainers on."
Dr. Stevens says some retainers work great as mouth guards, and whether your kid has braces or not, Braces Omaha will be ready to get the perfect fit for your kid's teeth.
The free mouth guards are for kids between 8 and 14 years old.
Defend Your Mouth Day runs from 12:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. at Braces Omaha (14441 Dupont Ct, Ste 301
Omaha, NE 68144)
You are asked to make an appointment beforehand. You can make an appointment by clicking here.
Appointments will take about 15 minutes.
