Sports Dentistry is a game changer

Find out why some of the highest paid athletes in the world regularly visit the White Clinic to take care of their teeth and oral health.

As a high-performance sportsman, I am always looking to improve in any way I can. When I was presented with the idea of dental performance (or occlusion) I was surprised, but I believed in the results.

 

In certain situations, I have a habit of gritting my teeth and with the new ‘study’ of my occlusion I have improved a lot in terms of comfort, but above all when it comes to recovery after great physical effort, such as the 24-hour races. Before I had a lot of back pain, and today, although I won’t say that I never experienced it again, I can say that now it’s very rare.

Did you know that athletes present a greater risk for poor oral health?

It’s true. And these are some of the main contributing factors:

 

  • Athletes are more prone to dehydration, due to greater production of saliva and more air flow through the mouth during physical activity.
  • Due to intensive exercise and full training/competition schedules, the immune system is more easily compromised and a weakened immune system means a weakened mouth.
  • Athletes present a higher carbohydrate intake through nutritional supplements.

Poor oral health = poor performance

According to the 2018 study “Oral health and performance impacts in elite and professional athletes”, 32% of athletes reported that the state of their oral health impacted their sports performance, while 5.8% admitted that performance was truly affected. The study also shows that 29.9% of athletes suffer oral pain, 9% have difficulty training/competing and 3.8% had to reduce their training sessions. In addition, poor oral health also manifested in other areas: athletes reported difficulty eating (34.6%), difficulty smiling (17.2%) and difficulty relaxing (15.1%).

The powerful role of Sports Dentistry

Sports dentistry is a rapidly growing and essential field in contemporary dentistry, supporting both amateur and elite athletes in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of oral issues and injuries. By strengthening the crucial balance between mouth and body, sports dentistry simultaneously boosts sports performance.

 

Whatever the sport, this specific and fine-tuned field of dentistry assesses an athlete’s body starting with the mouth. Why? Because the mouth is the pathway to rectifying the neurological connections that are wired to body behaviour, function, performance and control. If you’re an athlete who is struggling with muscle, bone, joint or posture issues, old injuries or unknown problems that just don’t seem to heal or go away no matter what you do, a Sports Dentistry consultation is the ideal next step.

Power up, power on
At White Clinic, our Sports Dentistry protocol studies the link between the stomatognathic system and sports practice. Comprised by teeth, jaw, facial muscles, soft tissues and the temporomandibular joint, we take a deep dive into the anatomical and functional components of the stomatognathic system, while also considering the evaluation and diagnosis of Postural Deficiency Syndrome (PDS).
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What is Postural Deficiency Syndrome?
Postural Deficiency Syndrome is a health condition caused by musculo articular pathologies and asynchronism in one or various postural sensors, one of those being the mandibular sensors. When there is asymmetry and/or damage in postural sensors, the nervous system is clearly affected, presenting difficulties in receiving and emitting information to and from the musculoskeletal system.
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Improve your posture, improve your performance

As the system that supports the body’s stability, shape and movement, if there is a postural imbalance, a number of recurring pathologies can arise. In athletes, these can include a wide array of health issues, including lumbar pain, sciatica, herniated disc, neck pain, sprains, joint pain, headaches, scoliosis, among others. Naturally, sports performance is drastically reduced.

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Powerful protocol

Our Sports Dentistry protocol assesses and treats this postural imbalance through the mouth, using a high-tech, completely customised oral device that reconnects, repairs and rebalances the neurological pathways between the mandibular system and the central nervous system.

ORCARDO: an exclusive high-tech device for world-class athletes

The personalised and effective treatment of Postural Deficiency Syndrome is supported by ORCARDO: a high-tech, clinically advanced oral device designed by our very own Dr. Ricardo Silva, for elite athletes who need to reboot their performance levels.


The ORCARDO is backed by functional mandibular and neuro-occlusal rehabilitation techniques and is mapped and produced according to the athlete’s specific diagnosis and mouth constitution. Worn exclusively during sleeping hours, its intense therapeutic action is profound and continuous – even during the day, when the device is removed, it continues to be extremely effective. By continuously transmitting neurological information through the trigeminal nerve, musculoskeletal imbalances are rebalanced and the patient undergoes a complete and transformative postural reprogramming.

We’re ready to help you achieve peak performance

Our Sports Dentistry team is excited to get to know you and evaluate the state of your health, so we can help you heal, thrive and achieve all the goals you’ve set yourself up for.

Step 1

In-depth consultation

During the first Sports Dentistry consultation, we’re focused on diagnosing what type of Postural Deficiency Syndrome we’re dealing with and that includes a set of fundamental and detailed assessment exams: muscular, vision and dental occlusion. Based on our findings, we’ll do an intraoral scan of your mouth in order to create a digital mould of your oral cavity, which will determine the prime therapeutic position for the oral mandibular device.

Step 2

Creating a tailored ORCARDO device

Using cutting-edge technology and material, we create your personal ORCARDO device in our high-tech in-house lab. Precise, reliable, efficient and convenient, this oral mandibular device is as unique as you are, plus it’s tailored to your immediate needs.

Step 3

Your device is ready

Get ready to try on your personalised ORCARDO device for size: during this consultation, we’ll not only ensure that the fit is perfect and comfortable, but we’ll also make any necessary tweaks. You can start sleeping with the device and after the first few days of adaptation, the treatment will initiate its transformative changes, starting with nocturnal nasal breathing and then at the dental performance level. This is the perfect time to discuss any questions and concerns you may have: we’re here to support you during the entire Sports Dentistry treatment.

Step 4

First checkpoint

It’s evaluation time: the results of your initial treatment period with the ORCARDO will help us not only understand how you’re progressing, but also make any necessary readjustments to the treatment plan and to the oral device. With your Sports Dentistry protocol evaluated and revised, your body is going to continue healing from the inside out, getting stronger each and every week.

Step 5

Performance checkpoint

We recommend an assessment consultation every 2 months, however, these can be scheduled more frequently, especially for elite athletes with demanding competitive schedules. Our Sports Dentistry team will be glad to consult with you and your physical therapist remotely if and whenever necessary.

Meet Dr. Miguel Stanley

One of the top dentists on the planet and named one of the “32 Most Influential People in Dentistry”, Dr. Miguel Stanley is a high-performing professional who is passionate about optimal human performance and has been consistently closing the gap between the obsolete idea that oral health is separate from general health.

 

With over 25 years of experience – studying, envisioning and practicing the future of dentistry and applying it to diverse areas – Dr. Miguel Stanley has been successfully treating elite athletes and working closely with premium sports clubs even before Sports Dentistry became Sports Dentistry.

 

Dr. Miguel Stanley is a famous dentist who has a deep and practical understanding of the negative effects that poor oral health can have on sports performance, overall wellbeing and longevity. His hands-on, 360º approach to highly personalised Sports Dentistry protocols have been a true game changer for athletes from multiple fields, who regained their confidence, purpose and powerful performance levels.

Meet Dr. Ricardo Silva

With a degree in Dentistry from Instituto Superior de Ciências da Saúde in Lisbon, Dr. Ricardo Silva continued his academic training in Orthodontics at the Ortocervera Institute in Madrid, in Occlusion at the Donau Universitat in Vienna, Austria, in Meaw Technical Orthodontics at the University of Kanagawa in Japan, in Orthopedics at the Wilma Simões Institute in Lisbon and in Neuro-Occlusal Rehabilitation at the Pedro Planas Clinic in Barcelona, ​​where he also did an internship. He has dedicated his career to the area of ​​dental occlusion and its implications for posture and proprioceptivity, part of which as a researcher in the ophthalmic proprioceptive area, alongside ophthalmic clinics.

 

At White Clinic, he specialises in dental occlusion and it was here that he developed ORCARDO – a premium oral device for improving high-performance in elite athletes. One of the founders of the Portuguese Society of Sports Dentistry (SPOD), his passion for and vast experience in the field of Sports Dentistry has brought him great recognition as a national and international speaker, while simultaneously taking on the role of sports dentistry advisor to several athletes and sports clubs.

Ready to take your sports performance to a whole new level? Book your Sports Dentistry appointment.

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