What to Know About Sports Mouthguards

If you engage in sports and physical activities, it is a good idea to consider the use of a sports mouthguard. This is a protective element you can use especially if you are engaged in contact sports. Without it, if you were to fall or experience trauma, you may sustain a serious dental injury.

Sports mouthguards are worn over teeth as a means of protection for dental injuries.

This will be a barrier between the soft tissues of the mouth and the teeth. So if you were to experience an impact, this impact will be absorbed and distributed by the mouthguard. And this will prevent your teeth from getting knocked out, chipped or broken. This can also prevent your tongue, lips and cheeks from getting injured. There are many benefits of using sports mouthguards and you can actually have one custom made for you at Mayfield dental care so that it fits you perfectly and keeps you comfortable while wearing it. Protecting teeth is one of the main reasons to wear a mouthguard. While certain dental injuries can be treated, it can be quite painful and the cost of the treatment can be high as well depending on your situation. By wearing a well-fitting mouthguard, you can minimise the risk of damaging your teeth.

The soft tissues of the mouth are also protected when you wear a mouthguard.

If you were to experience trauma to the mouth, sometimes you can sustain abrasions and cuts to the cheeks, lips and tongue which can be quite painful. But a mouthguard will cushion these areas from the majority of the impact and bring down the risk of injury. While it is vital that you wear head protection when playing contact sports, mouthguards can also help absorb some of the impact to a point when you sustain a blow to the head or jaw. And this will reduce the risk of having a concussion. However, this should not be your primary defence against a concussion.

There are different types of mouthguards that you will come across.

There are stock mouthguards you can purchase outright and these are ready-to-wear mouthguards. You can find these in sporting goods stores and they tend to be quite affordable. The downside is that they may not provide the perfect fit for everyone so the level of comfort can vary when it comes to the individual. To achieve a better fit than the stock mouthguards, you can look into boil-and-bite mouthguards. These soften in hot water because they are made from a thermoplastic material. And when you put it in your mouth and bite down on it, it will create a more customised fit. However, the gold standard is a custom fitted mouthguard. This will be created by a dental professional moulded to your mouth shape and teeth. These tend to be the most expensive out of the three options but if you play contact sports or engage in physical activity that may pose a risk to your teeth, it is best to invest in this.