What do jockeys and hockey players have in common?

Not, one might expect, a similar smile. As you consider Kentucky Derby bets, you can safely expect that none of the corresponding jockeys will look like they just stepped out of a cage fight.

There are some sports that are known for knocking a person’s teeth around, and others that are not.

It’s easy to underestimate the level of physical risk that can come with horseback riding. The truth is a little more complicated. This is a genuinely risky sport, but one that can result in an expensive trip to the dentist’s office.

How Common is Dental Trauma?

Perhaps unsurprisingly, it’s relatively common for riders, particularly competitive riders, to experience tooth trauma. Most common occurrences take place during jumping events. In these cases, it’s not only that there is a higher risk for falling off the horse, but also that you might get jostled and make unexpected facial contact with the reins or saddle.

Studies have shown that 15% of competitive jumpers have experienced some form of dental trauma, and another 30% have witnessed it happen to someone else.

The best way to avoid dental trauma is, of course, to take ample precautions. When it comes to horseback riding, there are certain things you can do to maximise the safety of the experience. 

This includes riding with other people to ensure that you have immediate help in the event of an injury, staying within your comfort level at all times so that you don’t push yourself into unsafe scenarios, and choosing animals that are a good temperamental fit, as this will have the biggest influence on your overall riding experience.

All of that said, even with ample precautions taken, it is still possible to get injured.

Prevention

We already talked about the types of precautions you can take in terms of choosing how and when you ride. These are excellent ways to reduce the likelihood of any type of equestrian injury.

You can further eliminate risk by wearing proper safety equipment, including both a mouth guard and a helmet. It’s also a good idea to have regular dental exams, even when you haven’t been injured.

A lot of people postpone dental appointments, but regularly seeing your dentist can help ensure that your teeth are healthy and strong, features that will reduce the risk of serious injury should you fall from your horse.

Why Tooth Injury Happens

As you might imagine, most dental-related horse injuries are the result of falls. A person goes off their horse and hits the ground mouth-first. Yikes.

Less common, but equally painful, are injuries that result from facial contact with the equipment. For example, the horse throws you around a bit with an unexpected acceleration, and you wind up bumping your mouth on the harness.

All of these injuries are common enough, even in big racing events like the Kentucky Derby. You can read more about it here: twinspires.com 

Determining The Severity of an Injury

In certain cases, it’s fairly easy to determine if a medical intervention is required. If your teeth are misshapen or out of alignment, that’s definitely an objective sign that you need to head to the dentist. If your teeth are cracked, chipped, or loosened, it’s time to go.

Even in situations where there is no visible damage to the teeth themselves, it could be a good idea to seek medical attention. There may be deep tissue damage that is invisible to the naked eye.

Applying First Aid At The Scene

Dental emergencies are more time-sensitive than many people realize. If your teeth have been knocked out, you may actually be able to successfully reinsert them. 

However, to do so, it’s important to place them in liquid immediately, stop the bleeding as quickly as you can, and get to the dentist within 90 minutes.

If you wait too much longer than that, the risk of infection becomes too high and it’s almost impossible to reinsert the tooth.

There’s No Need to Live in Fear

While dental injuries are a legitimate risk with any horse riding experience, they’re also nothing that should occupy too much of your thinking. We already described the steps you should take to insulate yourself from risk.

Really, this is just good general horse riding advice: tips that anyone should take into account if they’re going to ride an animal. 

One of the best overall pieces of horse riding advice is to go slow and choose your experiences conservatively.

You can always build up to longer, more adventurous rides on bigger, faster horses, but it’s important to always make sure that you’re putting yourself in situations that are a good match for your skill level.

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