Think of all the steps you take to keep your family safe. Car seats, boosters and seatbelts for everyone in the car? Check. A working smoke detector in every room of your house? Check. Vaccinations up-to-date? Check. Mouthguards for all of the sports enthusiasts in your family? Uh-oh. A mouthguard is critical to protecting your teeth, gums, lips and tongues during any kind of athletic activity, including both contact and non-contact sports. Dr. Doug Clark, Jr. or Dr. Doug Clark III, the dentists at Hill Avenue Dental in Superior, WI, can fabricate a customize sports mouthguard for you and all of the members of your family who are actively involved in athletics.
Sports injuries are responsible for more than five million lost teeth every year, and the American Dental Association states that one-third of all dental injuries are sports related. Wearing a mouthguard, however, can prevent more than 200,000 mouth injuries every year. Besides a knocked out tooth, other types of dental injuries that may occur as a result of not using a mouthguard include:
- Chipped or broken teeth
- Fractured crowns or bridgework
- Cheek and lip injuries
- Root damage to your teeth
- Fractured jaws
In addition to these oral injuries, mouthguards may also reduce the risk and severity of a concussion that can happen as a result of a hard blow to the head, face or jaw. A study of high school athletes showed that 56 percent of all concussions were suffered when mouthguards were not worn. But when you wear a mouthguard, you’re wearing a shock absorber between your upper and lower jaw to help prevent concussions as well as neck injuries, too.
Mouthguards Superior Can Count on for a Psychological Edge
When you’re playing to win, you want every psychological advantage you can get. Research shows that if you’re wearing proper protection, including a custom mouthguard, then you play more confidently and aggressively. Furthermore, wearing a mouthguard offers a tremendous economic advantage: replacing a tooth lost because of a sports injury can cost 20 times more than the cost of a custom-fitted mouthguard.
Call Our Office Today
If you or anyone in your family needs a customized mouthguard before heading out to play, practice or compete, then call Hill Avenue Dental. We serve patients in Superior, WI, as well as from Duluth, Douglas County, Northern Wisconsin and Northeastern Minnesota.
Just because you get a cavity doesn’t mean the world is ending. We understand that there are tempting foods and snacks out there. Carbonated drinks can sometimes sound much more quenching than plain water. Though we can try our best to steer you away from sugary drinks and other foods that wreak havoc on your teeth, the decision is left to you. Cavities, unfortunately, are most often the result. If you are currently dealing with a cavity issue, Drs. Doug Clark Jr. and Douglas Clark III would like you to come in for a checkup and determine how best to treat your cavity issues. The warning signs of cavities are easily felt, and can be corrected if caught early enough.
When teeth become damaged or lost, it will impair the function of your mouth. It’s not great for your self-image, either. To improve both the use and look of your smile, talk to the staff at Hill Avenue Dental about our available 
Perhaps there is a crack in one of your teeth and it is gradually worsening. Or maybe you have a tooth that is abnormally worn because of teeth grinding and clenching. Whatever the reason, the time has come to repair that tooth. Trouble is you don’t want to take a lot of time in the dentist’s office. 
You have always taken very good care of your teeth and gums. Every morning and every night, you brush and floss. You schedule twice yearly dental checkups at 
Every sport has its uniform essentials. Football players wear helmets and shoulder pads. In hockey—a Wisconsin favorite—players also wear heavy padding as well as a helmet and in the case of the goalie, a face mask, too. Tennis stars wear tennis whites. The list goes on and on. But there is one piece of equipment that every player should wear regardless of the sport and regardless of whether they play professional or amateur. A 
According to the American Dental Association, some 42,000 Americans will be diagnosed with oral cancer this year. The five-year survival rate for those who are told that they have oral cancer is slightly more than 64 percent. Fortunately, there is something you can do to avoid the ravages of this disease: have an 
If you have a damaged or missing tooth, then you know the consequences are anything but pleasant. Of course, there’s the concern about the appearance of your smile, but beyond that you also may not be able to speak clearly or eat the foods that are part of a nutritious diet, such as raw fruits and vegetables. If you are contending with any of these difficulties, then consider getting a 
When you see someone with what you consider to be a perfect smile, do you think to yourself, “I wish my teeth could look like that”? Well, they can.