What is Sports Dentistry?
Sports dentistry is a medical discipline that specializes in the prevention and treatment of oral and dental pathologies that may affect the general condition of the athlete, their quality of life, or of course, their physical performance.
What does it consist of?
Sports doctors, as well as odontostomatologists, agree, backed by science, in pointing out how important it is to perform pre-season oral examinations. In this way, if necessary, emergency treatments can be carried out and a specialized follow-up of the patient’s oral health can be performed.
Why is it done?
Sports dentistry is essential, because to be victorious in their challenges or competitions, the athlete must be in full physical and intellectual faculties. In this sense, oral health is often mistakenly excluded from medical care. For this reason, it is vital that both athletes and their physical trainers and doctors understand the great importance of sports dentistry.
The success of an athlete depends on being able to develop his physical and intellectual aptitudes in an adequate manner. He must enjoy a perfect state of health, including a good state of oral health, which is too often neglected by athletes. For this reason, not only they but also the technical and medical team around the athletes must understand that the improvement and improvement in performance is achieved by having an optimal state of health in all areas, not excluding Dentistry.
What diseases does sports dentistry treat?
Studies confirm that oral problems such as periodontal gum lesions, abscesses, fistulas and pericoronaritis can lead to distal lesions, increasing the risk of tears, joint pain or tendon injuries.
In the mouth there is a high prevalence of chronic infections that go unnoticed, such as periodontitis, gingivitis, pericoronaritis, caries, fistulas, abscesses or untreated devitalized teeth. All this makes it difficult to control them and impairs the proper performance of our body’s functions. These oral bacteria pass into the bloodstream and are related to erectile dysfunction, diabetes, muscular, joint and/or cardiovascular problems. It has been scientifically proven that many articular and muscular lesions are a consequence of dental and/or paradental (tissues surrounding the tooth) infectious foci.
When is it necessary to see a specialist in sports dentistry?
Whenever necessary and, in particular, in pre-season periods to avoid future complications with oral and dental origin.