Sports mouthguards are pumped-up versions of regular mouthguards that help protect your teeth during sports. These guards are helpful if you play contact sports like football, rugby, ice hockey, and basketball. The guards help protect your teeth from any unforeseeable injuries like a broken jaw, broken teeth, and muscle damage.
Compared to a regular custom dentist made mouth guard, sports mouthguards use a layering technique that makes them flexible while still being strong enough to absorb pressure while playing.
While sports mouthguards aren’t mandatory for professional sports, it’s better if you wear them because even a small fall can turn into a big injury that might need surgery and long-term rest.
Sports mouthguards are mandatory for kids because children have more sensitive teeth that can easily break and lead to jaw deformities. Learn all you need to know about sports mouthguards by reading out guide.
How Are Sports Mouthguards Different?
For a regular mouthguard, a mold of your teeth is used to create a guard from a single sheet of plastic-like material. Depending on the requirements, the sheet used can be hard or soft. But for sports mouthguards, things are a bit different.
For one, these guards aren’t made from a single sheet and are much thicker than common dental guards. Sports mouthguards are made from multi-layered materials that offer higher protection, more shock absorption, and better fit.
These guards can better withstand higher pressures and forces that might break your teeth, crush your jaw, or cause other dental damage. Another thing is that good quality sports mouthguards are custom-made for your specific dental profile, so they’re comfortable to wear and can offer better protection.
Facts About Sports Mouthguards
Sports Mouthguards Are Only Available For The Upper Teeth
Commonly you’ll find sports mouthguards only for the upper teeth profile. This is because the mouthguards are a bit bulky and won’t be comfortable on your lower teeth. Additionally, they offer better protection against injuries if they’re worn on the upper teeth.
However, if you wear braces or have other issues, you can get a custom mouthguard made for your lower teeth profile to prevent the braces from bursting open and leading to a dental injury. But you’ll still have to wear an upper-teeth mouthguard to protect your teeth properly.
Sports Mouthguards Prevent Tooth Damage
The main use of a sports mouthguard is to protect your teeth. Besides getting your teeth broken on the field, sports guards also prevent you from developing bruxism. The stress from the game leads to people clenching their jaw, and doing this for a long time leads to grinding, which is called bruxism. Grinding can do all sorts of damage to the teeth, including enamel damage, chipped teeth, sensitive teeth, and frequent jaw pain and headaches.
They Can Protect From Jaw And Brain Injuries
Jaw dislodgement and concussions are common sport-related injuries that can lead to terrible consequences if not treated immediately. Wearing a sports mouthguard can prevent these injuries or reduce their impact to some extent. For example, a serious blow to the mouth can lead to jaw dislodgement or a shattered jaw. But if you’re wearing a mouthguard, the damage will be minimal, and you can get away only with a few injuries instead of getting your bones broken.
They Reduce The Possibility Of Neck Trauma
A custom mouthguard protects your jaw, which in extension, absorbs shocks sent to your neck. So if you end up with a sudden jolt or take a serious hit to the jaw, the mouthguard will prevent the force from traveling to your neck and causing neck trauma. Additionally, you might accidentally bite through your tongue or other soft tissue in your mouth if you’re not wearing a mouthguard. Wearing one creates a buffer layer between your teeth that prevents your teeth from coming in contact with your lips, cheeks, and tongue.
Mouthguards Can Develop Germs And Mold If Not Cleaned
Just like a regular mouthguard, your sports mouthguard needs to be cleaned. But the difference is that during regular wear, your mouth doesn’t produce that much bacteria. On the other hand, while playing sports, athletes eat a lot of calories and sugars to maintain their energy levels. They also don’t brush their teeth while on the field.
As a result, they’re more likely to develop bad oral health. This, combined with constantly wearing a mouthguard, can lead to bacterial infestation and mold development in the mouthguards. So, in addition to cleaning it before wearing it, you should also thoroughly clean it after you’ve finished wearing it. Commonly cleaning your guard with toothpaste and a brush will be good enough to get rid of any build-up.
Sports Mouthguards Are Mandatory For Children
For professional sports, athletes have the choice to wear a mouthguard or not. Most of them choose to wear one, while some don’t. But when it comes to children, sports mouthguards are mandatory. Many sports clubs refuse to let children play unless they wear mouthguards. So it’s better to invest in a good sports mouthguard that can last long and offer adequate protection for your children. Also, makes sure the sports mouthguard is FDA-approved.
Get Your Custom Sports Mouthguards Today!
Get a comfortable and cost-effective custom sports mouthguard to lessen the impacts of sport-related injuries. Clear Comfort Night Guards is a professional dental lab based in California that creates custom sports mouthguards for its customers. Our night guards are manufactured in our labs by skilled technicians and delivered directly to your door.
In addition to that, we also sell dental guards for bruxism and sleep apnea. Our dental guards are available in a range of materials, including night guard for jaw clenching, hard ones, and ultra-hard ones.
Clear Comfort Dental Guards reduce the need for a visit to the dentist. Simply go to our website, choose a dental guard, and complete your order. We also offer quick shipping, a money-back guarantee, and excellent customer service.
About The Author
The author is a basketball coach with a career spanning 2 decades. He’s an advocate for sports safety and actively encourages wearing mouthguards for playing basketball to prevent dental injuries to his players. He also has a blog where he talks about the dangers of playing sports without proper gear.