“Protect your smile with a custom fit mouthguard”
Wearing a mouthguard while playing sports is important to prevent dental and jaw related injuries. When a mouthguard is worn (and fits properly), it helps provide protection for the hard (teeth and jaw) and soft (lips, cheeks, gums) tissues of the mouth by absorbing and redistributing the forces generated by traumatic blows.
We strongly recommend a custom-made mouthguard when playing any type of sport where contact is involved. Custom mouthguards are regarded as the most protective and comfortable type of guard. Therefore, the athlete is more likely to wear their mouthguard. Custom mouthguards only fit the athlete it was made for and the athlete is still able to speak quite clearly.
Boil and bite mouthguards are not recommended as they do not fit properly, move around and the athlete must clench their teeth together to keep it in. protection is minimal. Often you will see athletes with the mouthguard half in and half out of their mouths.
For the following sports, it is imperative a custom made mouthguard is worn for maximum protection; football, boxing, hockey, lacrosse, rugby, basketball, water polo, martial arts and wrestling. Also athletes in sports such as; skateboarding, baseball, racquetball, volleyball, tennis, gymnastics and skiing as they are equally at risk of injury and a mouthguard is recommended.
Many sport organisations, clubs and schools have made it compulsory for athletes to use mouthguards, ensuring that they are protected against injury at all times.
Injury reduction and prevention
There are two types of impact to the mouth:
Direct – This is a direct frontal blow to the upper jaw which, if unprotected, may result in damage to or loss of teeth and the possibility of concussion.
Indirect – This is a more common blow to the lower jaw. The lower teeth are pushed upwards, bringing then into contact with the upper teeth. Significant damage can be caused to the other teeth and to the jaw.
Custom-made mouthguards v Boil & Bite Mouthguards
To reduce or prevent damage from a direct or indirect blow during sports activity, custom made mouthguards are an essential part of an athlete’s kit.
Boil and bite mouthguards are a popular choice of mouthguard as they are inexpensive however there are concerns to be wary of during the moulding process. If the mouthguard is bitten down on too hard while it is moulding to the shape of the teeth, the plastic can become too thin and will either not properly protect teeth upon impact or may break. This is quite common when the mouthguard is fitted by the wearer themselves and not by a dental professional.
Why should you choose a custom-made mouthguard over a boil and bite?
- They fit better as they are made from an accurate impression of your mouth
- The dental professional will take into consideration the wearer’s age, erupting teeth and braces
- They can be up to 2.5mm thicker, acting as a shock absorber and spreading the impact after a blow
- Breathing is not affected
- Will not move during activity
- Speech will be less impaired
- Recommended by the British Dental Health Foundation
Check out the FAQs for further information.