Mouthguards and Night Guards
Mouthguards provide protection to teeth, lips, mouth, and jaw. We strongly recommend mouthguards for kids who play sports—especially contact sports—and kids who are starting to get their permanent teeth but are still grinding their teeth.
Dental Mouthguards and Dental Night Guards
A mouthguard is essential for every athlete in contact sports and physical activities, regardless of age. It softens impacts and can prevent serious injuries that could cause expensive and painful oral health issues. Our mouthguards are custom-made from lightweight materials, ensuring they are comfortable and effective. They do not interfere with your regular breathing or speaking.
Night guards are similar to mouth guards but are worn while sleeping to prevent damage caused by bruxism. Bruxism is a disorder that can cause people to clench and grind their teeth while asleep unknowingly. Untreated, it can result in teeth fractures, breakages, headaches, and jaw pain.
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What types of dental mouthguards exist?
There are three types of mouthguards:
- Stock mouth protectors that come ready to wear. These are inexpensive and can be bought at most sporting goods stores. However, you cannot adjust their fit, and they tend to be bulky, making breathing and speaking difficult, and they offer limited protection.
- Boil-and-bite mouth protectors can also be bought at most sporting goods stores, offering a better fit than stock mouth protectors. This type of mouth guard is placed in hot water to soften and then placed in the mouth to shape around the teeth. The same issues that affect stock mouth protectors carry over to boil-and-bite mouthguards.
- Custom-fitted mouthguards are designed individually and made in the dental office based on your dentist’s instructions. Your dentists will first make an impression on your teeth and then mold the mouthguard over the model. This type of mouthguard provides the most protection and comfort. With professional oversight, your dentist can also ensure that your mouthguard will not harm your teeth or negatively affect your bite.
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Why are mouthguards important for athletes?
There are many reasons why wearing a mouthguard when playing sports is important. First, mouthguards protect against displacing teeth as they help distribute force over all of your teeth, which prevents one or two teeth from taking all the force of an impact. They can also protect against injuries to soft tissue such as your tongue and gums and prevent jaw and tooth fractures. Ultimately, mouth guards may help prevent concussions as the padding could lessen the force between the upper and lower rows of teeth and lessen the force of the jaw as it pushes on the skull.
Need a Mouthguard?
If you have more questions about mouthguards and night guards, please contact our office, and we will be happy to discuss further.
