Re: Sports Dentistry

Professional hockey organizations have several medical personnel on staff to ensure the players remain at their optimum performance level. The medical team includes a dentist who is in attendance at every game, ready to treat players that have suffered a dental injury on the ice.

During the NHL regular season, injuries sustained during a game by either team are treated by the home team’s dentist. When the playoffs begin and the teams strategy is under lock and key, the dentist accompanies the medical team on the road to provide direct care. Dr. Blair says, "Everybody keeps their cards closer to their vest as far as injuries are concerned, we don’t want the opposition to know our injuries, and they don’t want us to know theirs."

How are dental injuries treated during a game, considering most arenas are generally not capable of housing the equipment necessary to perform a restoration, not to mention the player with the injury is determined to get back on the ice? According to Dr. Blair, the first priority is always, "Immediate relief of pain; hockey players are paid to play hockey. It is our job to get them back on the ice as soon and as quickly as possible. The treatment that takes place at the game might be only a temporary fix to get them back in the game and then more involved, more detailed treatment will take place here in the [dental] office after the game or the next day."