Last Updated on May 26, 2019 by Gio Greenard

April is National Facial Protection Month

April is National Facial Protection Month, and Dr. Panucci and the Beach Braces Team wants to remind parents, coaches and athletes to play it safe as they prepare to suit up for recreational and organized sports.

A child’s mouth and face can be easily injured if the proper precautions are not used while playing sports.  In fact, according to the Center for Disease Control, more than half of the 7 million sports- and recreation-related injuries that occur each year are sustained by youth as young as 5 years old… Ouch!

Last year, the National Youth Sports Safety Foundation forecasted that more than 3 million teeth would be knocked out in youth sporting events – yet, in a survey commissioned by the American Association of Orthodontists, 67% of parents admit that their child does not wear a mouth guard during organized sports. This raises a question: If mouth guards offer a simple and relatively inexpensive solution to help dramatically decrease the risk of oral and injuries, why aren’t more kids wearing this kind of facial protection?

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mMTTXbdwT4]

Parents are encouraged to talk with us about the right mouth guards for their young athletes, and to urge coaches to require that young athletes wear their mouth guards at every practice and every game.
Damage to braces can lengthen treatment times, it also can affect results, so contact Beach Braces for advice if damage occurs.

Dr. Panucci’s Top Tips for Facial Protection

Dr. Panucci say “to prevent facial injuries remember these four important tips”.

1. Always Wear mouth guards for contact sports to help prevent injuries to the teeth and mouth.
2. Wear a helmet. Helmets absorb the energy of an impact.
3. Wear protective eyewear. Eyes are extremely vulnerable.
4. Be alert even as a spectator. Alert spectators can avoid foul baseballs and flying hockey pucks. Watch your step when climbing bleachers.

Dr. Panucci help kids and adults obtain healthy, beautiful smiles and the last thing she wants to see is a patient get injured because they weren’t wearing adequate facial protection. So get your mouth guard and go hit a home run!

Dr. Patricia J Panucci is an orthodontic specialist offering Invisalign & Invisalign Teen, Lingual Braces and more in Manhattan Beach, CA and in the South Bay area of Southern California including Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, Hawthorne and El Segundo.

National Facial Protection Month

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Dr Patricia Panucci

Dr Patti Panucci attended the University of Louisville School of Dentistry for four years, where she graduated with a DMD degree (May 2000) among the Top 10 in her class. Following that, she headed west to Los Angeles to complete her three-year residency at one of the top-ranked orthodontic programs in the country – the University of Southern California.

Along with her certificate in orthodontics, Dr. Panucci earned a master’s degree in craniofacial biology. During those three years, she fell in love with Southern California beach life and decided that this was where her future lay.