Everyone knows that mouthguards are required for contact sports like football and hockey, but for whatever reason, many people leave baseball off the list. The purpose of this article is to show you that baseball is indeed a contact sport and that baseball mouthguards are a good idea.
If you have watched baseball long enough, especially youth baseball, you have probably seen a lot of “contact” on the diamond.
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Baseball Mouthguard for batters
Not only do some players like to crowd the plate, but sometimes pitchers can’t control the location of their pitches. Combine these two factors and nasty injuries can occur. Many players have suffered facial injuries and lost teeth over this combination, which makes a baseball mouthguard a great safety item.
Baseball Mouthguards for players in the field
Not only do youth baseball players forget to let go of the bat after they hit the ball, but sometimes both big and little players forget to hold onto the bat tight enough and it goes flying after they swing, which creates a dangerous situation for anyone who might be in the way.
We all have seen major league baseball players make throwing errors, this happens even more often in little league. Errant throws, or throws to players who are not ready to catch the ball are very common issues that can lead to injury.
Line drives can come screaming off the metal bats that young players use these days. Combine those line drives with players who have varying levels of defensive proficiency and accidents can happen here too.
Many young players like to swings at pitches that are well outside of the strike zone. This author has seen more than one player who has fouled balls off into their own face after swinging at some of these pitches.
We have also seen players of all ages collide when trying to make a play in the field or running on the base path. These collisions can result in all sorts of injuries including facial injuries.
Safety Devices in Softball
If you have watched ladies softball at the high school and college level you will see that they acknowledge the fact that softball poses a danger to the mouth, head, and face. Many of the players will have a mask on their batting helmets. Plus, many pitchers will wear a protective mask as well. So isn’t it a good idea to acknowledge the fact that baseball is dangerous too? Especially, when you consider the speed at which the baseball travels.
Conclusion
It might seem silly to many people to use a mouthguard in baseball. However, when you think about it, baseball is truly a contact sport. So even if it saves you just one trip to the dentist due to an injury a baseball mouthguard will be well worth the investment.
