Custom Mouth Guards and Their Benefits
Custom Mouth Guards and Their Benefits
By Wave Agency
Mouth guards are a necessity within contact sports. Their role is simple to understand. A mouth guard helps to protect a sport player’s teeth and jaw from damage. Contact sports can lead to tooth loss as well as other kinds of damage to a player’s mouth. It should be noted that the quality of many mouth guards vary, with many store-bought brands being inefficient at true protection for a sport player’s teeth.
e.s.i.’s Dr. K had this to say regarding his son’s store-bought mouth guards, “Mouth guards are mandatory in the league and their first ones were store-bought, boil and bite. They were not well adapted on the teeth and gums, they made them gag and the only way to keep them in was to constantly bite on them.”
While it is true that athletic mouth guards prevent jaw-based injuries and tooth trauma, the “boil and bite '' style mouth guards can often cause discomfort after long-term use (or right away). Boil and bite mouth guards are simply not the best fit when it comes to a sport player’s mouth. A custom mouth guard is more efficient and safer to use in the long term. They can fit perfectly within the mouth without soreness or other drawbacks.
“When trying to customize a boil and bite guard, we don’t bite down evenly and one area is always thinner than the other,” writes Dr. K. “The thinner part will not provide adequate protection and the cusps of those teeth are more prone to fracturing.”
According to research from the Academy of General Dentistry in 2014, those who use simple, store-bought mouth guards are at nearly double the risk of brain injury than those with custom mouth guards. Simply put, store-bought mouth guards cannot offer the same level of quality, protection, and care that custom, dentist-made mouth guards can.
“It is especially important that young players have maximum protection against these horrible injuries. Some disadvantages of custom appliances are that they take two visits to be fabricated and they are more expensive.”
While there is added expense that comes from custom mouth guards that may give some parents pause, these mouth guards are more efficient, last longer, and are ultimately the best way to keep a contact sport player safe. Younger children are especially at risk as they are always growing. The benefits of a uniform thickness custom-made for an individual’s set of teeth should not be ignored.
“With literally hundreds of different styles, colors, and designs, the possibilities of decorating and customizing these important pieces of protective equipment are endless … So, play hard, play safe, and PLAY BALL!”
For all of your dental needs, e.s.i. Healthy Dentistry is here for you. Schedule an appointment today!
