Tips to Protect Your Teeth While Exercising

Have you ever noticed how much you clench your teeth during a difficult workout? Though exercising is great for your body, it can ruin your teeth if you’re not careful. We’ve come up with a few easy tips to help you protect your teeth while you’re exercising. This way, you can make your workouts healthy for every part of your body!

Wear a Mouth Guard

When it comes to contact sports, like football, boxing or basketball, it’s important to wear a mouth guard. Mouth guards protect your teeth from breaking or getting knocked out if you get hit in the head. You can either get a mouth guard fitted for you by a dentist or buy a cheaper mouth guard from a sports store. These won’t fit as well as a mouth guard fitted by a dentist will, but they’re better than nothing.
Mouth guards shouldn’t only be used for contact sports. When you bike, run or lift weights, you may notice that you clench your teeth. Do this enough and you’ll wear down your teeth to their nerves. Wearing a mouth guard will help you to stop clenching and grinding your teeth against each other when you work out.

Drink Water Throughout Your Workout

Did you know that you produce less saliva when you exercise? A study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports found that saliva flow rates decreased significantly when athletes worked out. The athletes’ dry mouths put them at a higher risk of dental erosion, since saliva contains proteins and minerals that protect tooth enamel and help prevent tooth decay and gum disease.
While the athletes in this study exercise much more intensely than the average person, and for longer periods of time, it’s still important to ensure that your mouth stays healthy. Make sure to bring a bottle of water to the gym and drink from it throughout your workout. This should help to keep your teeth protected.

Avoid Sports Drinks

Believe it or not, sports drinks can be worse for your teeth than soda pop. Sports drinks contain high volumes of acids that wear away at the enamel on your teeth. When these acids are combined with a dry mouth during exercise, your teeth are in even more danger. Try replacing your sports drinks with water while you’re working out.

Take Out Your Retainer

If you’re doing an exercise that can cause your retainer to pop out and break, it’s best to take it out. You definitely don’t want to stop your teeth-straightening progress because of a broken retainer. Make sure to replace it right after your done with your activity.
We hope these tips help to keep your teeth safe while you’re working hard at the gym. If you have any more questions about oral health and exercise, feel free to write to us on Facebook! We would love to hear from you.