Mouthguards

In the past, the importance of wearing a mouthguard was aimed mostly at athletes playing contact sports. Now more than ever, people are participating in competitive contact sports where the level of strength and intensity among participants can result in serious oral-facial injury.

Mouth protection, such as mouthguards (also called a sportsguard), can help absorb the forces that cause oral-facial injuries, therefore minimizing the incidence and severity of broken teeth and facial bones. The most common oral-facial injury is damage to the upper central incisors. A properly fitted mouthguard is essential for all athletic and high risk recreational sports. Traditional sports such as hockey, football, basketball, boxing, etc. have always led the list causing facial injuries. Today injuries stemming from skateboarding, scootering, rollerblading, and bicycling are becoming more common. A properly fitting mouthguard is designed to distribute traumatic forces to a larger area, therefore cushioning the blow that causes broken teeth and associated injuries to the tongue, face and jaw bones. They are also known to reduce the incidence and severity of concussions.

Mouth guards can be purchased from stores. The pre-formed stock mouthguards are a universal fitting appliance that is inexpensive. However they generally do not fit very well and may not provide the level of protection you demand. They tend to be bulky, and may pinch the gums. They are also known to impair speech and breathing. This makes them a deterrent to be worn.

The best fitting mouthguards are those made from impressions of the mouth taken by the dentist. These custom-fitted mouthguards are more comfortable than the universal type , so they are more likely to be worn when needed. They are designed to fit your mouth perfectly. They take two short, easy visits to fabricate. On the first visit, we take an impression of the top and bottom of your teeth. These impressions take about 2 to 3 minutes each. From these impressions, models of your mouth are made, and the custom mouthguard is fabricated on these models. On the second visit, the mouthguards are adjusted and given to you with instructions on care and maintenance.

[Main][Our Doctors][FAQ][Office Policies][Dental Info][Patient Services]
[Doctors Only][Patients Only][Links][DHD Dental Labs][Our Location]