Mouth Guards

What Are Mouth Guards?

Mouth guards are customized devices worn over the teeth to protect them from injury during athletic or recreational activities. Unlike dental splints used to treat conditions such as teeth-grinding (bruxism), snoring, or sleep apnea, mouth guards are designed specifically to shield your teeth and braces during sports.

Effective mouth guards should be comfortable, durable, easy to clean, and allow you to breathe and speak normally.

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Who Needs a Mouth Guard?

Any individual, child or adult, who engages in contact sports such as football, hockey, boxing, or lacrosse should wear a mouth guard. We also recommend them for anyone participating in activities where the mouth is vulnerable to injury, including bicycling, skateboarding, and other recreational sports.

Wearing a mouth guard during these activities diminishes the risk of injury to your teeth, tongue, jaw, gums, and nerves. Without protection, you run an increased risk of chipping, breaking, or losing a tooth, injuring the soft tissue of your mouth, and damaging or even fracturing your jaw.

Mouth guards are especially helpful if you wear braces or have fixed bridge work. These dental appliances can be damaged during sports encounters and require expensive repair or replacement. Even worse, a setback in treatment can occur as injuries heal and equipment is repaired or refitted. Although it may seem contradictory, we advise patients to remove orthodontic retainers or headgear during sports and wear a mouth guard instead.

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Why Choose a Custom-Made Mouth Guard?

While over-the-counter mouth guards are available at sporting goods stores, they are no substitute for individually designed, custom-made mouth guards manufactured in our dental office. Personalized mouth guards, produced to protect your particular bite, are well worth the extra cost.

Because they fit you precisely, custom mouth guards leave less room for damage to teeth or hardware and provide greater comfort. They are unobtrusive during speech and never interfere with normal breathing. Store-bought guards often feel bulky, slip out of place, and can make it difficult to talk or breathe comfortably.

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How We Create Your Mouth Guard

Creating a custom mouth guard involves several simple steps:

1. Impression: We use a malleable material to make an accurate impression of your teeth.

2. Fabrication: A mouth guard is molded over the impression to match your unique bite.

3. Fitting: In most cases, mouth guards cover only the upper teeth. However, when necessary—particularly if you wear braces or other dental appliances on the lower jaw—we will fashion a mouth guard for the lower teeth as well.

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Caring for Your Mouth Guard

Proper care will help your mouth guard last longer and stay hygienic:

• Rinse before and after each use with mouthwash or cold water
• Clean with a toothbrush and toothpaste after every use
• Wash occasionally in cool soapy water, rinse, and dry thoroughly
• Store in a ventilated container with air holes to permit circulation
• Keep away from heat to prevent warping
• Examine periodically for signs of wear
• Bring to your regular dental visits so we can evaluate whether replacement is necessary

With proper care, your custom mouth guard will provide reliable protection season after season.