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This month, Dr. Clark Jones and team want you to be extra careful with your braces and appliances. After all, September marks the start of fall sports. Of course, that also means an increased risk for mouth injuries. September also happens to be National Childhood Injury Prevention Month, and we thought we'd share a few sobering facts about sports and facial injuries, courtesy of our friends at the American Association of Orthodontists, or AAO.
Injuries can happen at any age: More than half of the seven million sports and recreation-related injuries that occur each year are sustained by youth between ages 5 and 24, according to the CDC. Collision and contact sports have higher injury rates, and account for about 80 percent of all sports-related emergency room visits. Despite the risks, many kids are still not wearing mouth guards and facial protection during games and practices.
Here's why:
Mouth guards are not being used: Sixty-seven percent of parents say their child does not wear a mouth guard, yet, 70% say their biggest fear when their child plays is that they will get hurt. And here’s a chilling stat: One out of every four (27 percent) parents say their child has sustained an injury during an organized sport resulting in a trip to the emergency room, according to the AAO.
Not enough support for mouth guards: Of the parents whose children do not wear a mouth guard, 84 percent say it's because the league or coach does not require it, the AAO says.
Hard hits occur in every sport: The average high school baseball pitcher can throw a fast ball between 75-to-85 miles per hour. This compares to being hit in the mouth by a speeding car!
We hope this helps you remember to always wear a mouth guard and other forms of protective gear when participating in fall sports! For more ways you can stay safe on the field, check out these tips. We encourage you to give us a call if you have any questions! Have a wonderful week!

Great question! There are a lot of foods we want you to stay away from while you’re wearing braces. Some foods can occasionally damage braces, but certain foods can bend the wires or even break the brackets on your braces. If you’re wearing braces, you should avoid starch, sugar and gummy foods, as these foods can be difficult to remove during brushing. Foods that are high in sugar and starch tend to cause plaque, cavities and even tooth decay.
Avoid tough meats, hard breads and raw vegetables such as carrots and celery. Before long, you’ll be able to bite a cucumber again. But you’ll need to protect your orthodontic appliances when you eat for as long as you’re wearing braces.
Foods you should avoid include:
• Chewy foods: bagels, hard rolls, licorice
• Crunchy foods: popcorn, ice, chips
• Sticky foods: caramels, gum
• Hard foods: nuts, candy
• Foods you have to bite into: corn on the cob, apples, carrots
• Chewing on hard things (for example, pens, pencils or fingernails) can damage the braces. Damaged braces will cause treatment to take longer.
If you have any questions on which foods you should be avoiding and why, we invite you to give us a call or ask Dr. Jones or one of our team members during your next visit at our convenient offices in Phoenix or Anthem! Or, you can always ask us on Facebook!