The best way to treat facial sports injuries is to prevent them. To insure a safe athletic environment, the following guidelines are suggested:

• Be sure the playing areas are large enough that players will not run into walls or other obstructions.
• Cover unremoveable goal posts and other structures with thick, protective padding.
• Carefully check equipment to be sure it is functioning properly.
• Require protective equipment – such as helmets and padding for football, bicycling and rollerblading; face masks, head and mouth guards for baseball; ear protectors for wrestlers; and eyeglass guards or goggles for racquetball and snowmobiling are just a few.
• Prepare athletes with warm-up exercises before engaging in intense team activity.
• In the case of sports involving fast-moving vehicles, for example, snowmobiles or dirt bikes – check the path of travel, making sure there are no obstructing fences, wires or other obstacles.
• Enlist adequate adult supervision for all children’s competitive sports.