Seven-year-old Arturo Taylor flashed his first smile after trying on his new athletic mouth guard and it came up bright green. The device, customized to fit precisely and comfortably over his upper teeth, was his free reward for participating in the annual Mouth Guard Clinic at the U-M School of Dentistry.
Dental School faculty recommend children should have new mouth guards made on a regular basis if they are playing sports where contact or falls can damage their mouths. Arturo’s mother, Gabriel Wilson of Detroit, said she brought her son to the dental school after learning about the mouth guard clinic from one of his coaches.
The clinic also drew many junior high and high school students, as well as adults, who play sports. About 45 people from around southeast Michigan received the custom mouth guards during the clinic. Dental faculty supervised about 50 dental and dental hygiene student volunteers throughout the process.
