If you are involved in any type of athletic activity, you will have additional challenges to maintain your dental health. To prevent trauma and damage to your teeth while you’re competing, it’s important to wear a mouth guard.
Why Is a Mouth Guard Important?
Contact sports, as well as other athletic endeavors, can put your mouth and teeth at risk. If you are likely to fall, be tackled, be pushed, or otherwise suffer trauma to your face or mouth, a mouth guard can help protect your teeth as well as the soft tissues like your lips and tongue. Sports injuries are a major cause of tooth loss or damage, so it’s important to do everything you can to protect your mouth while you play.[pullquote]Sports injuries are a major cause of tooth loss or damage, so it’s important to do everything you can to protect your mouth while you play.[/pullquote]
Most people think of mouth guards as necessary for sports like boxing, football, or hockey, where contact between participants is common. However, a mouth guard is also helpful for other sports as well, such as activities like bicycling or gymnastics, where falls or other types of contact can result in trauma to the mouth.
Choosing the Right Mouth Guard
Choosing the right mouth guard helps ensure it will be comfortable in your mouth so that you will use it regularly. Professional athletes have mouth guards that are custom made in the dental office for optimum comfort and effectiveness. Amateur athletes or students participating in sports in school are more likely to use over-the-counter options.
Two types of mouth guards are typically available at sporting goods stores. These are pre-made mouth guards and boil-and-bite mouth guards. The premade type will not fit your mouth exactly, but is less expensive and might be useful for a child who is just trying out a sport. Boil-and-bite mouth guards allow you to mold them to your teeth for a more exact fit and are thus more comfortable. They are also a very affordable option for the amateur athlete, and are readily available over the counter.
For more information about choosing the right mouth guard for you, please contact the office of Kemp & Borovac Dentistry and set up an appointment today.