Whether you play football, basketball, or soccer, getting braces doesn’t have to mean spending a season or two on the bench. The fear most athletes have is that a collision or a bad fall will send a wire poking into their cheek or knock a bracket clean off a tooth. While that risk is very real, there are steps you can take to play sports safely with braces and ensure your orthodontic treatment and future smile aren’t at risk just because you want to stay active in your favorite sport. 

About 50% of kids who play sports sustain a dental injury before they graduate high school, and having metal brackets and wires in your mouth does raise the stakes. But 75% of all dental injuries in athletes happen when a mouthguard isn’t being used. This means the biggest danger is not the braces themselves, but playing without the right protection. 

Continue reading to learn how to choose the correct gear to protect your teeth during your specific sport, how to handle a dental emergency if it does happen, and where to find the best kids' orthodontist in Raleigh for getting a custom mouthguard made for people with braces. 

Can You Play Sports With Braces? 

The most common question we get asked is, “Will I still be able to play sports when I have braces?” The short answer is yes, but you’ll need to take some extra precautions. This is because the risk of mouth injury is higher when you have metal brackets and wires inside your mouth. A hit to the face that might leave a normal player with a sore lip can leave a braces wearer with a cut to their cheek, a broken bracket, or a loose wire digging into their gum. 

Most athletes also worry that braces will throw off their game, especially in the first few weeks. While having new hardware in your mouth changes how things feel when you run, jump, or take a hit, the body adapts quickly. Most athletes return to their normal level of performance within the first week of getting braces put on.

Dental Injury Risk Levels in High-Contact vs. Low-Contact Sports

Not all sports carry the same level of risk for athletes with braces, and knowing where your sport falls on that spectrum helps you prepare the right way: 

• Non-contact sports like swimming, track and field, tennis, and golf are on the lower end of the risk scale. There is less chance of taking a direct hit to the mouth, though accidents can still happen, and wearing a mouthguard during practice is still a smart call. 
• High-contact sports like football, hockey, rugby, lacrosse, and basketball all come with a greater chance of taking an elbow, a ball, or a stick to the face. For those sports, a proper orthodontic mouthguard is the most important piece of gear you put on. 
• Sports like boxing, wrestling, and mixed martial arts involve direct and repeated blows to the head and mouth. These carry the highest risk for serious bracket damage and soft tissue injury and require a custom-fit mouthguard with extra thickness. 

How to Choose the Best Mouthguard for Braces

If there is one piece of gear every athlete with braces needs, it is a mouthguard. And it can’t be just any mouthguard. A standard hard-plastic mouthguard can actually make things worse. If your mouth takes a hit while wearing one, the rigid plastic can press directly into your brackets and cause the kind of damage you were trying to prevent. 

Orthodontic mouthguards are made from silicone, which is softer and more flexible, and they are designed with extra room to fit over your brackets and wires without squeezing against them. There are three main types of mouthguards for braces: 

• Stock mouthguards come pre-formed right out of the package and usually are cheap and easy to find, but they tend to fit poorly and offer the least protection of the three. 
• Boil-and-bite mouthguards give you a more customized fit because you soften them in hot water and then bite down to mold them to your teeth. They work well at first, but as your teeth shift during treatment, the fit gets worse. 
• A custom-fit orthodontic mouthguard made by the best orthodontist in Raleigh is the best option because it fits your mouth exactly, it stays in place during contact, can be adjusted as you proceed through treatment, and it is far more comfortable than anything off the shelf. 

What to Do If You Sustain a Dental Injury or Break a Bracket 

Accidents happen, and knowing what to do in the moment can save you from a longer recovery and a longer treatment plan. 

• The first thing you should do is check your braces in a mirror to see whether any brackets appear to have moved, whether a wire is sticking out, or whether something feels sharp against your cheek or gum. A broken bracket does not always mean you need to rush off the field, but it does mean you need to call your orthodontist that day. Ignoring it, even for a few days, can let your teeth drift out of position and add time to your overall treatment. 
• For immediate relief from a sharp piece of wire, orthodontic wax can be your best friend. Roll a small piece, press it over any sharp edge or loose bracket, and it will protect the inside of your mouth until you can get an appointment. Never try to cut a wire yourself with nail clippers or scissors because this could cause damage to your appliance or injure you further.
• If you are bleeding from the mouth after a hit, rinse with warm salt water and apply gentle pressure with a clean cloth. If possible, place a cold compress on the outside of your mouth to help bring down swelling. If the bleeding does not stop, you should seek medical attention. 
• Contact the best orthodontist in Raleigh for an urgent appointment for a dental emergency in Apex, Cary, Pittsboro, Holly Springs, Morrisville, like a tooth being knocked loose or a bracket punching through your lip.

Oral Hygiene Tips for Athletes With Braces

As an athlete with braces, sweat, dirt, and whatever you ate before the game can get trapped around your brackets and along the gumline. Over time, that buildup leads to plaque, and plaque leads to cavities. Cavities during orthodontic treatment can slow your progress and, in some cases, require your orthodontist to remove a bracket to treat the tooth underneath. 

Avoiding this delay in treatment is simple: pack a small oral hygiene kit in your sports bag. A soft-bristled toothbrush, a travel-size fluoride toothpaste, a few floss picks, and a small mirror take up almost no space and give you everything you need to keep up on good oral health habits. 

Finding the Best Kids’ Orthodontist in Raleigh for Braces, Mouthguards, and Orthodontic Emergencies

Playing sports with braces is something our patients do every single day. From youth rec leagues to high school varsity and competitive club sports, we have helped athletes across Apex, Cary, Pittsboro, Holly Springs, and Morrisville protect their smiles without missing a game. 

Getting the right mouthguard is not a one-size-fits-all process, especially when braces are involved. This is why Dr. Spielberg fits each athlete with a custom orthodontic mouthguard built around their specific brackets, bite, and sport.

If your child just started orthodontic treatment or is about to, now is the right time to talk through what their sports season looks like, so we can build a plan that keeps their treatment moving and their mouth protected.