Millions of High Schoolers every year sustain serious injuries during school sports. Many of those injuries are to the teeth and mouth. Did you know that dental guards for sports aren’t just about protecting the teeth? A properly-fitting sportsguard will also guard against concussions and soft tissue damage in the mouth.
Here at Timpanogos Pediatric Dentistry, we’re experienced in fitting custom dental sports guards in order to preserve your child’s safety and dental health.
Mouth Guard Options
There are several options available when you shop for a sports guard. Stock guards are cheap and ready-to-wear. However, they are also usually uncomfortable and ill-fitting. Boil-and-bite mouthguards are a step above stock guards. They can be customized at home by heating them and molding them to your mouth. The best, fit, however, will be achieved by a dentist. These customized sports guards are made using a model of your bite, and constructed to meet your specific needs.
Which Sports Require a Sports Guard?
The American Dental Association recommends using a sports guards to protect the teeth and jaw anytime that you’re involved in contact sports. This means that anything that comes with the risk of an elbow or ball in the face should include the proper protective gear. That being said, we know that most children don’t want to bother with a sports guard when they’re playing a simple game of pickup basketball in the back yard. Injuries are possible in any level of game, but it’s especially important to protect your mouth during highly competitive games. Athletes are less likely to be careful when they’re fully throwing themselves into the game, and so it’s important for them to be protected.
Here are some sports which will require a sports guard as part of your protective gear:
- Basketball
- Football
- Soccer
- Hockey
- Wrestling
- Lacrosse
- Boxing
- Skateboarding
- Mountain Biking
What if You Have Braces?
This is a frequent question from our patients and their parents. Braces in no way protect you from sports injuries to the mouth. In fact, cuts and lesions to the mouth are more common when you have braces, and accidents during sports can also damage orthodontia. It can be difficult to manage a stock guard or a boil-and-bite guard with braces getting in the way. Rest assured that here at Timpanogos Pediatric Dentistry, we have the tools to fit you with an effective sports guard, with or without braces.
Call today to set up a fitting for your custom sports guard.
