Orthodontist John Fishell has seen about 4 or 5 emergency orthodontic patients every month over the last several years - all due to sports related injuries (many, of course, involving orthodontic braces). Most of these injuries were preventable ones, Fishell felt, and he wanted to make that known. Thus, Dr. Fishell set out to increase awareness about athletic mouth protectors and their role in protecting your teeth.

Over the past decade plus, Dr. Fishell has given out just about 1,000 free mouth guards to youngsters (8 to 18 years old) each and every year. The recipients are all athletes - individuals taking part in sports and community recreation leagues within a certain proximity to his offices in Peters, Pleasant Hills, Charleroi and Connellsville (Pennsylvania).

"Although mouth guards are mandatory in sports - such as boxing, football and lacrosse - they weren't accepted in other sports until a few years ago," said Dr. Fishell. He went on to state that "they're still under-used and [that] results in a lot of preventable injuries to teeth and jaws in sports such as baseball, softball and basketball."

Fishell had also gone out of his way to educate young athletes and their families on the important of using a mouth piece. The doctor and his staff have offered countless informational sessions to local teams, normally during their practice seasons. Following his initial instruction, Dr. Fishell typically gives out free mouth guards, and sometimes even free water bottles (to get the attention of the younger athletes).

Dr. Fishell hates to see youngsters losing their teeth, noted when he said "In my business, we see a lot of loss of teeth or irreversible injuries such as fractures and nerve damage… If a youngster loses one or two front teeth, they're gone forever. While they might elect to have dental work such as a bridge or implant, such procedures are expensive and sometimes painful. Furthermore, many times these procedures can't be completed until the patient reaches the age of 18."

After giving free informational sessions and passing out mouth guards, Dr. Fishell tries to teach the athletes how to best fit their new mouth pieces. "Usually, mouth guards have to be boiled in water then fitted to teeth and mouths," he stated. "After an initial fitting, they can be kept in a case with proper cleaning with soap and water after each use." With proper fitting and continued use, moth guards can prevent lost teeth and a plethora of other oral misfortunes.