From the AP's Larry Lage:
Hall of Famer Chris Pronger has great-looking choppers, though they're not the ones he was born with, and Winnipeg Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien can pop a perfect-looking tooth in and out like he's a magician.
Despite player safety being scrutinized by the league more than ever and technological advances in equipment, hockey players are going to lose teeth. The only way to help players keep their teeth is to force them to attach full-cage masks to their helmets. And that, in the NHL at least, is not going to happen any time soon if ever.
If a player chooses to wear a mouth guard, he may help his chances of not having a concussion. His pearly whites, though, are still at risk from a puck, a stick, the ice or a check into the boards.
"I've pulled teeth out of mouth guards," Detroit Red Wings equipment manager Paul Boyer said. "They're not designed to keep the teeth in the mouth."
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