Playing sports should be fun. However, did you know dental injuries to the face are the most common type of injury when playing sports? For this reason, dentists—and most sports regulatory boards—either recommend or mandate the use of mouth guards.
Custom-fitted mouth guards are especially made by your dentist to fit your mouth and are superior to other mouth guards for several reasons.
A custom-fitted mouth guard will significantly reduce injuries to the head and neck by protecting your jaw joint. It aids in preventing concussions as it acts as a cushion for your lower jaw and decreases the chances of breaking your front teeth by almost 90 percent. It also serves to protect the soft tissues such as your lips, cheeks, tongue, and gums from injury and lacerations.
Because it is made specifically for your mouth, there is no need to clench down on it in order to hold it in place and it will not impair your breathing or speech.
Even children with braces should wear a mouth guard. It will protect the child from being injured from the brackets and wires should an impact occur.
Children with both baby and adult teeth should have a new guard made as oral changes occur, such as a lost tooth or a new one erupting, to ensure maximum benefit and safety from your mouth guard.
