Head Injuries

Head injuries can range from minor bruises and nose bleeds through to life threatening head and neck injuries.

If you suspect a head injury, you should contact a qualified physician immediately. While you are waiting for a physician, you can follow the below injury management tips:

Injury	Symptom	Management
Nose bleed	Bleeding nose	Sit forward and pinch nose. Seek help if not stopped after 30 minutes.
Any eye injury	Pain, blurred vision, bleeding	Cover both eyes and seek medical help immediately.
Mouth injury	Lost or loose tooth	Rinse lost tooth, don't rub it, and place in milk or water, transport patient to dentist ASAP.
Broken nose	Pain, swelling and deformity	RICER, seek medical help.
Broken jaw	Pain, swelling and deformity	RICER, seek medical help. Patient holds jaw in hands.
Head injury	Unconscious or confused	Stop activity. Make patient safe. Seek medical help. Call an ambulance.
Neck injury	Pain in neck, loss of feeling	Stop the game. Don't move the patient. Make them safe. Seek medical help. Call an ambulance.

Sports mouthguards are like crash helmets for your teeth. Mouth guards are strongly recommended to prevent tooth damage or loss, especially if playing a contact sport (1). They reduce the risk of cuts to the lip, mouth and tongue, jaw fractures and concussion.

Mouthguards are U-shaped pieces of plastic that fit between the upper and lower teeth, protectively moulding around the upper teeth.

Custom-made mouthguards by your dentist provide an excellent fit and protection, but are much more expensive than an off-the-shelf product.

However, according to the reference text Sports Injury Management2... “ when properly fitted, the mouth formed (thermal) guard can virtually match the efficacy and comfort of the custom-made guard.”

Boil-and-bite mouth guards are made of a thermoplastic material that softens when boiled and will then mould around the teeth when bitten down on. Boil-and-bite mouth guards are a good choice for children who are losing and growing teeth and have an ever-changing bite.

The Elastoplast Sports Mouthguards are high-quality thermal guards that are:

• durable
• inexpensive
• easy to fit using the boil-and-bite method.

Step 1: Select the correct size - Junior (under 10 years), Youth (11-15 years) and Adult (16 years and over). (Please note that these ages are approximate as mouth sizes can vary).

Step 2: Place the Elastoplast Sport Mouthguard over the upper teeth to test for size.

Step 3: If too large, trim back using scissors until a comfortable size is achieved.

Step 4: Practise pressing the mouth guard firmly to the roof of the mouth with the tongue whilst biting down gently.

Step 5: Place the mouth guard in near-boiling water for 10 seconds. Remove with a large spoon and shake off the excess.

Step 6: Insert mouthguard immediately into position and bite firmly, but gently, to obtain an even bite. The guard will feel warm, but will not burn the mouth.

Step 7: Whilst in this position, suck the guard into place by exerting pressure with the tongue against the roof of the mouth.

Step 8: Mould the guard around the side of the teeth with the forefinger to ensure a tight fit.

Step 9: If the fit is not right, repeat until it feels correct.

Please note that none of the above given tips or recommendations substitute medical advice. Important: consult a health professional in case of an injury or if you suspect overuse of joints or a medical condition such as a fracture. A physician should be consulted in those acute cases when the condition is accompanied by reddening, swelling or hyperthermia of joints, ongoing joint trouble or severe pain and/or are associated with neurological symptoms
(e.g. numbness, tingling, loss of motion).

For further information regarding Elastoplast products, please contact us via email on anz.consumerservices@beiersdorf.com. Carefully read the instructions for use given in our products‘ packages.