Sports-related dental injuries can be some of the most painful and expensive to experience. Luckily, they’re also some of the most preventable when you use the right gear. And using that gear pays off. It’s estimated that athletes who go without a simple sports mouth guard are 60 times more likely to experience injuries to their mouths. Read on to learn more about how a sports mouth guard can protect you.
Superior Protection
Sports-related dental injuries like broken teeth or tooth loss, jaw damage, and even soft tissue injuries are a common occurrence for someone who takes part in sports like football, hockey, volleyball, or basketball without a mouth guard. But with a mouth guard acting as a shock absorber, their impact becomes much less severe.
Mouth guards are essential for protecting your teeth, which can break, fall out, or loosen with a blow to the face, because they prevent your teeth from crashing together. Typically, dentists outfit a patient for a guard that protects the top teeth, which still allows for a comfortable experience. Although, someone who engages in more extreme contact sports like boxing may need guards for the top and bottom teeth.
Getting the Right Fit
There are lots of general sports mouth guards on the market today, but getting a custom mouth guard is your best bet for preventing dental injuries. To create a custom guard, your dentist will take an impression of your mouth and create a comfortable mouth guard from that mold. You can even get a mouth guard if you have braces. A custom-fit mouth guard does more than help prevent dental injuries, too. It allows you to breathe and speak easily, ensuring that that extra piece of protection doesn’t impact your performance.
Once you have your mouth guard, taking proper care of it is key. For instance, your mouth guard should be cleaned after every use to remove bacteria and germs that can cause gum disease and tooth decay, among other issues. Because your mouth guard will wear down, dentists recommend you replace it every six months for top performance.
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