Monday, March 29, 2010

Rice University Sports Dentistry

What year did your sports dentistry relationship with Rice University begin?
1995. We started seeing from the football team who suffered from problems ranging from concussions, to TMJ problems, to issues with mouthguard fit. Since then, our services expanded to provide every aspect of general and cosmetic dentistry to emergency care.

Because we are only steps away from the campus, dental emergency service been one of the most valuable services we provide to Rice University athletics. We also make many custom mouthguards for their teams.

How many students and staff do you see per month?
We see anywhere from 5 to 15 athletes per month.

What feedback have you gotten from the coaches and trainers?
They have consistently thanked us over the years for the superior care and attention we have shown to the unique needs of their athletes. We have to also thank them as well. Rice trainers have been very helpful when it comes to us in giving us clear information on situations that players face in different athletic events and specific sports dentistry needs that different athletes face at different times.

We have a very strong relationship with the trainers as a result. They can call us at any time, because they know that their athletes will be taken care of. The coaches love the fact that this is one less thing that they have to worry about.

What teams do you work for other than the football team?
We provide sports dentistry services for athletes from every sport. A lot of them who remain in the Houston area continue to be our patients.

How many true dental emergencies have you faced with athletes?
We have treated dental emergencies for countless times over the previous years.

How crucial has your handling of dental emergencies been to student health?
It has literally meant the difference between some players keeping their teeth or losing them. From an athletic perspective, emergency spots dentistry limits the time that the player is away from the game.

What improvements to player performance have you been credited by the Rice U. staff?
Trainers have commented that sports dentistry helps an athlete return to the game with as much, if not more, confidence than he or she left the field with. Perhaps getting back in the game quickly and performing that is biggest help to player confidence.

Where do you see this service going in terms of working with other schools?
Yes. The fact that we are located literally steps away from Rice University Campus makes it even more convenient for players to count on us for dental emergency treatments.

Would you be willing to do this for high school and junior high teams?
Yes. In particular, we could fit everyone on their football teams need custom mouthguards.

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Wednesday, February 24, 2010

How a custom mouthgaurd and splint therapy helped a rice university football player overcome concussions and pain to get back in the game.

Sports Dentistry is a vital element of player safety and health. The Houston Medical Center Dental Group works in Partnership with Rice University to meet the dental needs of all the players on the Rice Football Team. We provide the full range of sports dental services to ensure the maximum possible safety of each player, thereby improving team spirit and furthering the pursuit of excellence and accomplishment.

These same services are available to other universities, colleges, and school districts interested in protecting the safety and maximizing the performance of their football team.

A recent case study from Rice illustrates how our combination of advanced sports dentistry and our knowledge of cosmetic dentistry solutions was able to help a wide receiver overcome constant pain and get back in the game.


Who was the patient?
He was a wide receiver for the Rice Football Team.

What brought the patient to the office?
Concussions and pain are what started the process. The knowledgeable trainers at Rice referred him to our office.

What were the specific problems that the player was facing?
The first problem he had was several concussions he had received over the years. Players, trainers, and coaches on the Rice Football Team were concerned that this could cause him additional problems if it wasn’t addressed.

The other problem that plagued him was temporal mandibular joint (TMJ) problems. These problems had surfaced over the years of playing football and they caused him to suffer a lot of pain. In particular, he had severe pain in his right TMJ.

What tests did you perform on the player?
We did a series of tests on his head to see the extent of previous concussions. We also did an analysis on his neck and a full set of X-rays.

What was the first thing you did for him?
The first thing we did for him was make him a custom mouthguard. We also performed splint therapy in order to help him with his discomfort and headaches. Thanks to the custom mouthguard, the player, to our knowledge, suffered no additional issues with concussions after that.

He will have to continue with splint therapy in order to control the condition of his right TMJ.

How did the procedure or device you issued the player improve player safety and performance?

The Rice Football Team trainers thought that the custom football guard helped prevent further concussions and the TMJ splint allowed him to have a pain free life.

In fact, the mouthguard worked so well that the Rice Football trainer asked us to make mouthguards for the entire team. We do this every August before the season starts.

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