As I prepare for basketball season, I can’t help but think about a memorable incident from last year’s NBA Finals when Derrick White, a guard for the Boston Celtics, chipped a tooth and had two others loosened during Game 5 against the Dallas Mavericks. Watching that moment led me to reflect on how vulnerable our teeth are, especially in sports, and on their unique role in our health, resilience, and even identity throughout human history. Teeth represent a legacy in human evolution. Taking care of our teeth is about maintaining our smile and honoring a history that spans thousands of years. Let’s bit into taking care of our teeth, tooth trauma in sports, and why adding a "Save a Tooth" kit to first aid supplies could make a real difference.

It turns out that teeth represent a legacy in human evolution. The anthropology of teeth are more than just bones because teeth are like biological time capsules. Dental anthropology reveals how the structure, wear, and patterns of tooth loss can tell us about ancient diets, health, and lifestyles. Certain wear patterns found in ancient skeletons show how early humans used teeth as tools, wearing them down through activities like processing animal hides or grinding tough grains. I found this article about why teeth are great for studying our past. Did you know that teeth are stronger than bones? This is why teeth are found in ancient ruins. Studying teeth can enlighten us because they show a trail of how our food and diets have changed over time. There is even DNA stored in the roots of our teeth that we can access and analyze with modern day technology. 

Today, teeth still tell stories about our lives, though the causes of wear and trauma have shifted. Sports-related injuries are now one of the top sources of tooth trauma, especially among young athletes. The patterns of tooth exfoliation (when baby teeth fall out) and eruption (when permanent teeth come in) typically follow a predictable course, but injuries in sports can disrupt this natural process, much like the unexpected trauma Derrick White experienced on the court. His story reminds us how vulnerable yet essential our teeth are, especially in high-impact sports like basketball.

Given that food is ingested through the mouth, which is a building block to survival, history shows that humans have always sought to protect and preserve their teeth, even when natural remedies were the only option. In modern times, the causes of wear and trauma are different, but teeth are still incredibly important to our health and self-image. Sports-related injuries have become one of the top sources of tooth trauma, with about 5 million teeth knocked out each year in the United States alone. In the instance of tooth dislodging, reimplanting the tooth within the first 30 minutes greatly increases the chance of saving it. Our ancestors valued preserving their teeth, and today, we have advanced tools to help us do the same. Today, "Save a Tooth" kits offer a modern solution that helps save teeth on the field by preserving a knocked-out tooth until it can be professionally reimplanted. See this resource endorsed by the American Dental Association.  

Last season, a young player on my team took a hard hit to the mouth and dislodged his front two teeth, and it struck me how unprepared we often are for these moments. Last month, during a soccer game in my local league, a student’s tooth was knocked out and preserved in milk! This was a great first step, but my dentist explained to me that "Save a Tooth" kits contain a special solution that keeps a tooth viable for reimplantation, making them invaluable during sports injuries. If something like this is readily available, it might have help us stablize teeth injuries quickly—just one example of how modern tools echo our ancestors’ instinct to protect and preserve our teeth. Placing a few of these kits around our school—in the nurse’s office, the gym, or in first aid kits on the fields—could help save a student’s smile, keep everyone calm, and show that our school cares about our safety. Imagine if Derrick White’s team had one of these kits on hand! 

As we prepare for the next season of sports, I'm thinking about the value of being prepared for dental emergencies. Tooth trauma doesn’t have to mean tooth loss—with quick action and the right tools, we can protect our teeth just as our ancestors valued and protected theirs. One strategy where humans can help humanity as a whole is to spread the word on simple solutions like preserving teeth in milk. Or, take it one step further, for example, I have donated "Save a Tooth" kits to schools around me and talked with school nurses about teeth preservation protocols and how we may be able to update our first aid kits and instruction manuals in one simple way. 

Looking at our teeth and advocating for them to be saved by spreading knowledge about effective strategies to preserve them makes me appreciate how we have evolved to withstand countless challenges, even in sports arenas. As we head into our next game day jitters, let’s remember to not only strategize for victory but to keep our smiles safe with the tools to handle unexpected injuries. Because our teeth are made up of a large proportion of inorganic matter, they will continue to be around for a long time. So, let's make sure that the story they tell is one of the human success of not only preserving our teeth but saving our humanity, a story our teeth can continue to share for millions of years.