Playing sports is a healthy way to improve your physical condition, lift your mood, interact socially and develop a winning attitude. Yet, playing sports can also put your mouth at risk of injury. Here’s the good news: a mouth guard can help you avoid injury in even the most high-contact sports. Whether you are rollerblading or playing football or basketball, your teeth deserve the protection our dentist can offer you with a custom-fitted mouth guard.
How Mouth Guards Protect You
The mouth guard fits over your top teeth, providing a strong cushion that absorbs shocks that happen during sports activities. It can dramatically reduce the effects of getting elbowed in the face during a basketball game or falling face-first while skating. It not only protects your teeth but also keeps your gums, lips, inner cheeks and tongue safe from damage.
Mouth Guards for Recreational Activities
Besides protecting the teeth during sports, mouth guards can keep your teeth safe during strenuous recreational activities. You can wear a mouth guard when mountain-climbing or any other recreational activity in which injuries can happen easily.
Easy-to-Wear Custom-Fitted Mouth Guards
When we make a mouth guard for you, it is carefully fitted to your teeth and mouth to ensure you can breathe and speak easily. It is comfortable to wear for the duration of any sporting event and easy to remove and reinsert whenever you like.
Mouth Guards Protect Dental Work
Many people wonder whether they can wear a mouth guard if they have dental crowns, bridges or orthodontia. The simple answer is yes! Mouth guards protect your investment of time and money spent restoring or straightening your teeth. What you need to remember is that over-the-counter mouth guards don’t provide the same level of protection as our custom-fitted mouth guards. You do need to take out any removable dental appliances before you insert your mouth guard.
Making Your Mouth Guard
Being fitted for a custom mouth guard is an easy, painless procedure. We take impressions of your teeth and the surrounding structures and tissues. The lab does the rest, fabricating a mouth guard according to the impressions we make. When the mouth guard is ready, your dentist shows you how to insert it and checks it for fit. After that, you are ready to use it any time you play sports.
Taking Care of Your Mouth Guard
Whenever you insert your mouth guard, it comes in contact with the bacteria in your mouth. So, it is important you clean it before and after every use. Simply rinse it with cold water or a mouth rinse. After you use the mouth guard, you can brush it with toothpaste and a toothbrush. Rinse it thoroughly and put it in its case.
What Not to Do with Your Mouth Guard
Your mouth guard can protect you, but only if you take good care of it. Don’t let yourself develop a habit of chewing on your mouth guard. Don’t expose it to hot water or harsh chemicals. Don’t share your mouth guard with anyone else, either. It is made for your mouth and no one else’s. Avoid leaving it in direct sunlight or places where the temperature is high. Never store it or transport it outside of its case. Remember: if you take care of your mouth guard, it will take care of you!
