Athletic Mouth Guards

This article was originally published on redapplepediatricdentalteam.com

 

Everyone knows that athletes are tough, but no one is too tough for a mouth guard.  Mouth guards are designed to absorb and distribute the forces of impact on your mouth in the case of an injury.  They can prevent damage to not just your teeth, but your lips, gums, tongue, cheek, and your jaw and jaw joint. 

 

Athletes are 60% more likely to damage their teeth during their sport when they are not wearing a mouth guard.  While contact sports may seem like the only time athletes need a mouth guard, the American Dental Association actually recommends that one be worn for any sport with a risk of injury, like skateboarding or gymnastics.  Now that you know the importance of a mouth guard, the next step is knowing where to purchase a proper one.

Mouth guards can be found in pharmacies and most athletic goods stores, but these options provide limited protection and will not fit your mouth properly.  A common mouth guard is the “boil and bite” version that fits to your teeth after you boil it in water.  While this may seem to be a good choice, these mouth guards still do not provide the best protection.  Your best solution is to purchase a custom mouth guard from your dentist.  It is designed based on a model of your actual teeth so it will fit perfectly and provides more protection than any other mouth guard!

The small investment into a mouth guard from your dentist is worth saving you the risk, anxiety, potential pain, and maybe even years of dental treatments.  Dr. Payam specializes in sports dentistry and can provide you with a perfect fit so you don’t have to worry about your teeth and can focus on the sports you love!