Sports Dentistry · Kempton Park, Gauteng
YOUR SPORT DEMANDS everything.

49.1% of elite athletes have untreated dental decay. 77% have active gum inflammation. 32% say it directly affected their training or competition — and they had no idea why. SmileSport360 exists to close that gap.

Needleman, Gallagher et al. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol. 2018–2019 · 352 athletes · 11 sports
49.1%
Elite athletes with
untreated dental decay
32%
Reporting direct impact
on performance
22+
Years of clinical
sports dentistry
360 SPORTS DENTISTRY DR S. KHOLVADIA · KEMPTON PARK
Who We Serve

ATHLETES ACROSS EVERY DISCIPLINE

🏉
Rugby
● High Risk
🥊
Boxing & MMA
● High Risk
Football
● High Risk
🏀
Basketball
● High Risk
🥋
Jiu-Jitsu
● High Risk
🏊
Triathlon
● Moderate
🚴
Cycling
● Moderate
🏃
Running
● Moderate
🏋️
CrossFit & HYROX
● Moderate
🏒
Hockey
● High Risk
🏏
Cricket
● Moderate
🎾
Tennis & Squash
● Lower

Risk ratings reflect trauma exposure, acid erosion burden, immune suppression from training load, and airway/occlusion impact

Why Athletes Are at Greater Risk

FIVE PROBLEMS
SPORT CREATES.

Training creates oral health risks that no general dentist is looking for — and that most athletes have never been told about.

01
😮‍💨
Mouth Breathing
At training intensity, you breathe through your mouth — eliminating saliva's protective buffering. Without salivary flow, teeth sit exposed to acid for the entire session duration.
02
Sports Drink Erosion
Sports drinks and gels sit at pH 3.0–4.5. Over 2–6 hour sessions, sustained acid contact erodes enamel silently. A general dentist rarely asks what you drink during training.
03
🛡️
Immune Suppression
Heavy training drops salivary IgA — the mouth's primary immune defence. This "open window" allows gum bacteria to proliferate and enter your bloodstream unchecked.
04
😬
Jaw Clenching Under Load
Athletes brace during maximal effort. Chronic jaw clenching accelerates tooth wear, destabilises the TMJ, disrupts the ANS, and elevates cortisol — directly impairing recovery.
05
🦷
Trauma Exposure
Dentofacial injury prevalence: Rugby 40% · Boxing ~80% · Jiu-Jitsu 52.9% · Basketball 27% · Hockey 19%. Most athletes wear off-the-shelf guards that offer inadequate protection.
Peer-Reviewed Evidence

ORAL HEALTH
IS A PERFORMANCE VARIABLE.

This is not an opinion. The biological pathway from gum inflammation to reduced athletic output is documented, cited, and now being acted on by elite sports organisations worldwide.

49.1%
Untreated dental decay in elite athletes
352 Olympic and professional athletes across 11 sports — screened at UCL Eastman Dental Institute. The majority brushed twice daily. The risk factors were sport-specific, not hygiene failures.
Needleman, Gallagher et al. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol. 2018–2019
VO₂max ↓
Lower aerobic capacity linked to gum disease severity
German national squad screening data demonstrated significantly lower VO₂max in athletes with periodontal severity index (PSI) ≥ 3. Gingival health is a cardiorespiratory performance variable.
German National Olympic Programme screening data · Multiple cohort studies
IL-6 · TNF-α
Shared cytokine cascade — periodontal disease and muscle fatigue
A 2024 systematic review and meta-analysis confirmed periodontal disease independently reduces sports performance through the IL-6/TNF-α inflammatory axis — the same pathway implicated in overtraining syndrome.
Ferreira et al. Research in Sports Medicine 2024 · Systematic review & meta-analysis
Higher
Musculo-tendinous injury incidence in footballers with periodontal disease
A 2025 study in professional footballers found a statistically significant association between active periodontal disease and increased rates of musculo-tendinous injuries — independent of fitness level.
Published 2025 · Professional football cohort study
The Biological Pathway

How your gums cost you performance

Chronic periodontal inflammation creates a systemic burden that no training block can fully overcome — until the oral source is addressed.

01
🦷
Gum Inflammation
Periodontal bacteria breach the gum-bloodstream barrier — enabled by training-induced immune suppression
02
🔬
LPS Translocation
Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from gram-negative bacteria enters circulation · activates TLR-4/NF-κB signalling
03
🔥
Cytokine Cascade
IL-1β · IL-6 · TNF-α systemically elevated — shared pathway with muscle damage and overtraining
04
📉
Performance Consequences
VO₂max reduction · increased muscle fatigue · slowed recovery · anabolic interference · elevated injury risk
Rx
The SmileSport360 Intervention
aMMP-8 chair-side testing (ORALyzer) identifies active inflammation at <20 ng/mL threshold · periodised treatment protocol aligned to training calendar
Also Documented · HRV–Bruxism–ANS Axis
Low HRV signals sympathetic dominance — which drives nocturnal bruxism as a neuromuscular stress symptom. A 2025 RCT confirmed oral splint therapy improved HRV, sleep quality and motor control in bruxist athletes.
PMC12293791 · 2025 VMT/bruxism RCT · PMC7386140 systematic review · HRV biofeedback & resonance frequency breathing
What We Offer

SERVICES BUILT
FOR ATHLETES.

Every service at SmileSport360 is designed around one question: how does this affect your training, your recovery, and your competitive output?

🦷
Sports Dental Assessment
A comprehensive oral health evaluation designed specifically for athletes. Includes TMJ and occlusal analysis, salivary diagnostics, dental erosion profiling, and airway evaluation — reviewed in the context of your sport, training load and competition calendar. Not a routine check-up.
Initial Assessment · 60–90 min
🛡️
Bespoke Smart Mouthguard
Custom-fabricated BSM (Bespoke Smart Mouthguard) — precision-fitted for your occlusion and sport, manufactured in shore hardness matched to your bite force and trauma risk. Integrates with Teethan wireless sEMG for real-time jaw muscle monitoring during training. Purpose-built. Not off-the-shelf.
Custom Fabrication · Sport-Specific
🔬
Pre-Season Oral Screening
A structured pre-season protocol that establishes your baseline oral health passport — identifying active pathology, erosion risk, occlusal imbalances, and inflammatory markers before the season begins. Includes aMMP-8 chair-side testing via ORALyzer to detect subclinical gum inflammation at clinical threshold.
Screening Protocol · Team & Individual
🧬
DNA Performance Profiling
A painless cheek swab analysed by DNAlysis — South Africa's ISO-accredited genetic testing laboratory. Reveals your endurance/power genetic profile, soft tissue injury risk (COL5A1, GDF5, COL1A1), nutritional requirements, recovery genetics, and inflammatory predisposition. SmileSport360 is an accredited DNAlysis provider.
ISO Accredited · DNAlysis Provider
⚙️
TMJ & Performance Jaw Therapy
The temporomandibular joint is the most loaded joint in the body during maximal athletic effort. TMJ dysfunction affects cervical posture, breathing mechanics, Valsalva bracing efficiency, and proprioception. We assess and treat the jaw as a performance structure — not just a pain complaint.
Occlusal · Postural · Functional
🚨
Dental Trauma & Emergency Care
Same-session emergency care for avulsed, fractured or luxated teeth. We follow IADT (International Association of Dental Traumatology) protocols — with specific attention to sport-context trauma. Concussion co-assessment included for high-impact incidents. Emergency line: 082 708 5189.
Same-Day Emergency · IADT Protocol
The SmileSport360 Difference

NOT A GENERAL
DENTIST.

A general dental practice looks after your teeth. SmileSport360 looks after your performance — and uses your teeth as the access point to do it.

📊
Teethan Wireless sEMG Monitoring
Your BSM integrates with Teethan — a wireless surface electromyography system measuring jaw muscle activity during training. Six validated indices: POC, TORS, ASIM, BAR, IMPACT, ACTIVITY — quantifying occlusal balance, bracing asymmetry, and loading patterns in real time.
🏃
Baiobit Motion Sensor Integration
The Baiobit Dental Pack assesses the jaw–postural–movement axis across four validated tests: balance, cervical ROM, walk and jump mechanics. Documents how jaw alignment affects athletic movement — and measures change after intervention.
🧪
ORALyzer Salivary Diagnostics
Chair-side aMMP-8 testing detects active periodontal inflammation at the <20 ng/mL threshold — before clinical signs appear. Periodontal monitoring is incorporated into your training block calendar, not scheduled independently of sport.
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Athlete Health Passport
Every finding — oral health baseline, sEMG data, genetic profile, inflammatory markers — is consolidated into a longitudinal athlete health record. Pre-season, in-season and return-to-play data in one continuous clinical story.
🧬
DNAlysis Accredited Provider
Dr Kholvadia interprets your genetic results personally and integrates them directly into your oral performance plan. COL5A1 and GDF5 variants amplify soft tissue injury risk 3–4× under high training load — this informs both your guard design and your pre-season protocol.
🩺
Sport-Specific Clinical Thinking
Your assessment considers your sport's acid exposure pattern, training load profile, trauma history and competitive calendar. The protocol changes between rugby pre-season and marathon peak week — because your oral health risks change with it.
📍
Ekurhuleni's Only Sports Dental Practice
SmileSport360 is the only dedicated sports dentistry practice in Ekurhuleni — and one of the few in South Africa integrating sEMG, genetic testing, salivary diagnostics and athlete-centred oral health protocols under one roof.

"Gingival health is a performance variable. An athlete with active periodontal inflammation is competing with a systemic handicap their physiotherapist cannot resolve and their coach cannot see."

— SmileSport360 Clinical Philosophy · Dr S. Kholvadia
Your Sports Dentist

DR S.
KHOLVADIA

A MEDUNSA graduate with over 22 years of private practice excellence in Kempton Park — Dr Kholvadia founded SmileSport360 to close a gap he kept seeing in athlete health: exceptional physical conditioning undermined by oral pathology that nobody was looking for. He integrates clinical dentistry, sports physiology, genetic science and biomechanical assessment into a single athlete-centred protocol.

🎓
BDS — MEDUNSA · Bachelor of Dental Surgery
🧬
ISO-Accredited DNAlysis Provider · Genetic Performance Testing
📡
Teethan sEMG & Baiobit · Accredited Technology Partner
100+ Five-Star Google Reviews · #1 Rated Dentist in Kempton Park
🏥
Kempton Smile · Shop 64, Kempton Square · 22+ Years

I founded SmileSport360 because I kept meeting athletes training harder than ever — but being held back by oral health problems they didn't know existed. The mouth is not a separate system. It is where the performance conversation starts.

— Dr S. Kholvadia BDS · Founder, SmileSport360 · Kempton Park
22+
Years in practice
100+
Five-star reviews
6
Diagnostic tools integrated
#1
Rated sports dentist, Ekurhuleni
Clinical Evidence Base
Needleman et al. 2018–2019 · UCL Eastman · 352 athletes · 11 sports
Ferreira et al. Res Sports Med 2024 · Systematic review & meta-analysis
German national squad data · VO₂max correlation with PSI ≥ 3
PMC12293791 · 2025 RCT · HRV, sleep & bruxism splint therapy
2025 Professional footballer study · Periodontal disease & injury incidence
You're already training hard. Let's make sure your mouth isn't slowing you down.
BOOK YOUR SPORTS DENTAL ASSESSMENT

SmileSport360 at Kempton Smile · Shop 64, Kempton Square · Kempton Park, Gauteng

Mon–Fri 08:00–17:00 · Sat 08:00–13:00 · Same-day emergency appointments available