It happens in a heartbeat. A stray puck catches a lip, a high stick deflects off a visor, or a shoulder pad connects with a jaw at twenty miles per hour. You see the player hunched over on the ice, frantic teammates pointing at the frozen surface, and then—the grizzly discovery. A small, white porcelain-like chip skittering across the rink.
Most people scream when they lose a tooth. Hockey players usually just look for a trainer to help them find it so they can get back for their next shift.
Hockey players missing teeth isn't just a cliché from a bad 70s movie; it’s a living, breathing part of the game's subculture. If you walk into an NHL locker room, the "summer teeth" jokes (some are here, some are there) are constant. But there is a real, physical price to pay for that aesthetic. It’s a mix of tradition, high-speed physics, and a weirdly specific type of dental vanity that only makes sense if you’ve spent your life on skates.
The Physics of the Lost Tooth
Think about the math for a second. A standard NHL puck is six ounces of vulcanized rubber, frozen solid to prevent bouncing. When someone like Shea Weber or Cale Makar winds up for a slap shot, that puck can travel at over 100 mph.
If that hits your mouth? It’s not just a "lost" tooth. It’s an explosion.
The force is enough to shatter the alveolar bone—that’s the thick ridge of jawbone that actually holds your teeth in place. Often, when we see a player with a bloody towel to their face, they haven't just lost the crown. They’ve suffered a "dentoalveolar fracture." This means the bone itself has splintered, making a simple replacement much harder than just getting a crown at the local dentist.
Take Duncan Keith’s legendary performance in the 2010 Western Conference Finals. He took a puck to the mouth and lost seven teeth in one go. Seven. He went to the back, had the fragments pulled out, and returned to the ice seven minutes later. That isn't just "toughness." It’s a total recalibration of what a human being considers a "serious injury."
Why don't they just wear full cages?
This is the question every parent asks. If your teeth are falling out, why not wear a full metal cage like college players or kids?
💡 You might also like: Huskers vs Michigan State: What Most People Get Wrong About This Big Ten Rivalry
In the NHL, you can’t.
Unless you have a specific facial injury and a temporary medical waiver, players are required to wear visors (if they entered the league after 2013) or nothing at all (if they are "grandfathered" in, though that group is shrinking fast). The league and the NHLPA have long debated this. Some players claim a full cage ruins their peripheral vision. They say it makes it harder to look down at the puck.
Honestly, it’s also a pride thing. There is an unwritten rule that says if you’re a pro, you show your face. You take the risk. Even the visors were resisted for decades. Craig MacTavish was famously the last player to play without a helmet at all, retiring in 1997. The culture moves slowly. Protection is often seen as a hindrance to performance, even if that performance ends with a $20,000 dental bill.
The "Bridge" vs. The Implant
You might notice that many players look perfectly fine during TV interviews, but then they hit the ice and suddenly they look like a pirate.
Most players use "flippers" or "bridges." These are removable partial dentures. They take them out before the game because if they got hit again with a permanent bridge or a dental implant in their mouth, the damage would be catastrophic. An implant is a titanium screw drilled into your jawbone. If a puck hits an implant, it won't just break the tooth; it can crack the entire jaw along the screw line.
So, they stay toothless during their playing years. It’s safer. They wait until they retire to spend the hundreds of hours in a dental chair getting their "civilian" smile back.
The Most Famous Smiles (or Lacks Thereof)
- Bobby Clarke: The poster boy for the toothless look. His 1972 Summit Series photo is the most iconic image of a hockey player ever captured. Two front teeth missing, a wide, genuine grin. It defined the era.
- Alexander Ovechkin: Ovi has been missing a front tooth for ages. He’s arguably the greatest goal scorer ever, and he refuses to fix it until he’s done playing. It’s become a brand.
- Drew Doughty: Another guy who embraced the gap. For these players, the missing teeth are a badge of service. It says, "I didn't flinch."
The Brutal Reality of "The Chair"
Dr. Bill Friedman, who served as the team dentist for the Florida Panthers for years, once described the locker room as a "triage center." It’s not just about aesthetics. When a player loses a tooth, the nerve is often exposed. That is a level of pain most people can't imagine—it’s like a direct electric shock to the brain every time you breathe in the cold rink air.
📖 Related: NFL Fantasy Pick Em: Why Most Fans Lose Money and How to Actually Win
The dentist has to perform "on-the-fly" root canals. They numb the area, remove the nerve right there in the back of the arena, and sew the gums shut so the player can finish the third period.
It’s a bizarre ritual.
Why do they keep doing it?
It's easy to call it "toughness," but it's also about the social contract of the sport. Hockey is built on the idea that the team is more important than the individual's comfort. If you leave the game because of a "mouth thing," you’re letting down the guys on the bench.
There’s also a weirdly practical side. Getting your teeth knocked out is a "clean" injury compared to a torn ACL or a concussion. You can still skate. You can still shoot. Your lungs work. To a hockey player, if your legs work, you play.
The Evolution of the Mouthguard
Technology is trying to catch up. Modern mouthguards aren't just pieces of boiled plastic anymore. Companies like CCM and Bauer use high-tech polymers designed to disperse the shock.
But here’s the kicker: mouthguards don't actually stop your teeth from getting knocked out by a puck.
Wait, what?
👉 See also: Inter Miami vs Toronto: What Really Happened in Their Recent Clashes
It’s true. A mouthguard’s primary job is to keep your top teeth from crashing into your bottom teeth, which helps prevent jaw fractures and can slightly mitigate concussion risk (though that’s still heavily debated by neurologists). If a stick hits you directly on the tooth, a mouthguard won't do much. The tooth is going to snap.
The only real solution is a full-face shield, but as long as the NHL remains a "visor-only" league for healthy players, the gap-toothed grin isn't going anywhere.
The Long-Term Consequences
Life after hockey is often defined by dental appointments. Many former players suffer from chronic jaw pain or "TMJ" because their bite was misaligned for a decade. The bone loss in the jaw where teeth were missing can lead to a sunken facial appearance if not treated with bone grafts later in life.
It's a heavy price for a game.
Yet, if you ask any retired pro if they regret it, they usually just laugh. They’ll tell you about the specific game where it happened. They’ll tell you who was officiating and who won the faceoff right after.
The missing teeth are a map of their career.
Actionable Insights for the "Hockey Smile"
If you're a player or a parent of one, here is how you actually handle the dental reality of the sport without losing your mind—or your jawbone.
- Custom-fit is mandatory. Stop buying the "boil and bite" mouthguards from the big box stores. See a dentist for a custom-molded guard. It fits tighter, allows for better breathing, and offers significantly more protection for the alveolar bone.
- The "Tooth Box" Rule. If a tooth is knocked out, do not scrub it. Pick it up by the crown (the white part), not the root. If it’s clean, try to gently place it back in the socket. If not, keep it in a container of cold milk or "Save-a-Tooth" solution. Do not put it in plain water; the cells on the root will burst.
- The "Immediate Triage" phase. If you take a hit to the mouth, check for more than just missing teeth. Run your tongue along the roof of your mouth. If things feel "shifty," your jaw might be fractured. Get an X-ray immediately, even if you think it's "just a tooth."
- Wait for the implants. If you're still playing competitive contact hockey, don't waste money on permanent implants. Stick with a "flipper" (removable partial). It’s cheaper, and you won't risk a jaw fracture if you get hit in the same spot twice.
- Nerve protection. If a tooth is chipped and the center looks pink or red, the nerve is exposed. This is an emergency. Covering it with dental wax (available at any drugstore) can provide temporary relief from the air and cold until you get to an emergency dentist.
The hockey smile is a legend for a reason. It represents a total disregard for vanity in exchange for a spot on the roster. It's ugly, it's expensive, and to the people who play the game, it's absolutely beautiful.