Man on a mission – Jerry Daly of Lucan Dental Care

It's a common question for Irish lads - you play sport, so should you wear a mouth guard? We caught up with innovator Jerry Daly of Lucan Dental Care.

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Jerry Daly is on a mission. That mission is to get anyone that plays sport which involves a considerable amount of risk to wear mouth guards. Although the benefits of wearing one are obvious - getting to keep your teeth is always a bonus, if you ask us - not everyone that competes in contact sports is ready to adopt the precaution.

Jerry can be found at the www.lucandentalcare.com and while he'll see to any dental issues you may have, he's particularly passionate about sport or more accurately, the correct precautions to ensure that you can enjoy it safely – mouth guards.

Here at JOE our view is that if mouth guards are good enough for Crystal Palace, they should be good enough for anyone lacing up before a game on AstroTurf.

A rugby lover at heart and having worked with the aforementioned football side, Jerry had seen it all in the rough and tumble world of sport. "From the rugby pitch, you come across fractured teeth, jaws, eye socket fracture and lacerated lips." he told us.

These days, things are little mellower for him, which must come as a relief after years of witnessing and treating some horrific sporting injuries. That's not to say that he's rested on his laurels since taking over at this clinic. "I took over the practice two and a half years ago and I have updated it with going computerised, even extending to up to the minute digital x-rays and patients VDUs with digital X-ray for example," he says.

One of Jerry's missions is to promote, however he can, the wearing of sports guards and luckily, the tide is turning in his favour.

"The GAA in particular are keen to ensure that every young child playing has to wear a sports guard, in fact we are recommended by The Hogan Stand.ie for a preventative goal," he says. More and more he's seeing that parents are coming to the clinic to make sure that their children are fitted with a mouth guard from an early age.

"It’s very much a family-orientated clinic but we get a good mix. We make sports guards regularly for all the children that are coming through. They need a customised guard for proper protection.

"There is a laboratory I use in Tipperary (Sportscap), they’ve a great turnaround. They fabricate sport guards on a daily basis in colours chosen by our patients. Whatever it is to get children and/or adults to wear them and even more importantly to want to wear them.

"People would basically come in, say they need a sports guard and we make them accordingly. If they want different colours, that’s not a problem. Dublin colours are very popular at the moment but we can make them in almost any mix of colours."

It isn't just about ensuring that kids can take up sports without fear of any form dental trauma - Jerry wants everyone, no matter their age, genders or whatever else, to look after themselves.

"In the past, for cost purposes, a lot of people would have gone to their local sports store, got a mould, put it in hot water and try to get it to fit. What we are trying to do is promote more awareness - to get one that is properly fitting, to your unique shape to prevent injury.

"We're talking a couple of day’s turnaround, usually about €100 and if you look after it, like everything, it'll last indefinitely."

We had to ask were there any sports in particular that needed sports guards more than most but surprisingly, Jerry found that although the need is great so many sports, there is still some reluctance to adopt them in certain circles.

"Camogie, boxing, hockey, rugby obviously, anything from Judo, Karate, whatever it might be if there is physical contact involved. We are trying to get soccer players to wear them but they won’t unfortunately, and it’s a shame because you get a lot of people getting elbows to the head. Prevention is so much better, cheaper and less painful than cure in this case."

With a fully personalised service, customisable sports guards, a few days turnaround and potentially a lifetime of protected teeth, we're sure plenty will want to join Jerry in his mission soon enough.

To find out more information on Lucan Dental Care, you can find the clinic's website at this address.