Cosmetic Dentist: What Athletes Know

When it comes to teeth, athletes rank right up there with the biggest Hollywood stars. Taking care of their teeth is important to their dental health, their image and their families. Most have the salary and opportunities for some of the best dentistry available. Agents, managers and coaches alike will tell you that athletes who care for their teeth are viewed highly among fans, press and peers.

So, which athletes are spending time in the chair of a cosmetic dentist? A very common group is the athlete that works in high impact sports. Boxers and football players immediately come to mind. Fists, bodies and falls that can greatly affect the health of their teeth constantly bombard these athletes. Very often a cosmetic dentist provides dental implants and full or partial dentures to athletes who repeatedly have teeth knocked out.

Other athletes have different needs. Baseball players often have the salary and the need to have a very streamlined smile. Cameras showing at bat time can be up close and personal. It is often at the suggesting of the coaching staff or agents for these players to have whitening, veneers or implant work done. Baseball players often have to fit into a very specific persona and teeth play a large part in helping along their image.

That isn’t to say that emergency dentistry isn’t required in the career of a professional baseball player. There are more than ample opportunities for falls, sliding, ball gloves or stray balls to knock out teeth. When it comes down to it, baseball is a dangerous sport and teeth are vulnerable. Just look at the amount of protection the behind the plate umpire and catcher are wearing. There is no question that the headgear protects the skull and the teeth.

Teeth are also vulnerable in the field of professional and college-level basketball. Often players wear mouth guards to keep their pearly whites protected during the games. As with boxing, football and baseball, there are more than a few moments in each game that a stray elbow, basketball or another player can make contact with the mouth. Knocked out, broken or severely impacted teeth are all treated by team physicians and later, the professional cosmetic dentist.

As mentioned in the discussion of professional baseball players, athletes more often than not are seen as stars and celebrities. Their clothing choice, hair, shoes, tattoos and complexion can all be under scrutiny on the field and in front of the camera. Likewise, their smile and teeth play a major role in how the general public perceives them. Crooked, stained or imperfect teeth can give the unfair perception of being slovenly. Oppositely, straight and bright smile give the impression of the put together performer.

It can be frustrating to athletes to have to deal with perceptions, especially when it comes to their smiles. Increasingly, though, major star players are turning to a cosmetic dentist to brighten or straighten their smiles, with the hope of improving their image and, quite possibly, their salaries.