Why do you need a dental mouth guard?
Using mouthguards during athletic activity can help prevent damage to your teeth. They can also be used at night to prevent teeth from grinding and clenching when you are asleep.
You can get your mouthguard custom-made at your dentist. We will take a mould of your teeth and use that to create a mouthguard that is specifically designed for your teeth and mouth.
This provides a much more comfortable fit than a stock mouthguard which you can buy from the shops, which makes them much more comfortable and harder to inadvertently dislodge while you're asleep.
If you grind your teeth, snore, or suffer from sleep apnea, a mouthguard is a great solution. While they're more costly than over-the-counter mouthguards, many insurance plans cover some or most of the cost.
Why do you need a dental mouth guard?
Certain sports and activities can carry a high risk of injury, resulting in injuries that could impact your face. A mouthguard can protect your teeth and prevent injuries to your lips or tongue.
It's important for you to use a mouthguard when you're involved in any of the sports below, especially those where a mouthguard is required as part of your kit:
Football, boxing, basketball, field hockey, ice hockey, rugby, gymnastics, wrestling, volleyball, skateboarding, skating, cycling and even softball!
A stock mouthguard is usually a good choice for protection when you play sports. Stock mouthguards are inexpensive and may be a good choice if you only need to use one occasionally. However, they will never provide the same level of support that a custom-made mouthguard will.
Mouthguards can't protect you from an accidental elbow to the face during an intense match. However, they can reduce the resulting damage or avoid the potential damage altogether. They accomplish this by distributing the impact across each area, like an individual tooth. Their construction of soft material ensures that they absorb some of the impact.
Bruxism (Teeth Grinding) is a sleep-related condition that can cause a variety of problems, such as tooth and jaw pain, sore gums, and other issues. It can also cause damage to your teeth.
Wearing a mouthguard while you sleep can help keep your teeth from damaging each other from the pressure from grinding or clenching.
We will recommend a custom-fitted mouthguard for bruxism rather than a Stock Mouthguard. Stock mouthguards are difficult to keep in place and can be uncomfortable, which can make them difficult to sleep with. While boil and bite mouthguards offer a more comfortable fit, they become brittle with frequent use.
If you aren't certain whether you need a mouthguard for bruxism, try a stock mouthguard for a few nights. If it seems to be helping, talk to your dentist to see if he or she can make a custom guard for you.
Sleep apnea is a serious sleep disorder that causes you to temporarily stop breathing while you're asleep. This can prevent your heart from receiving enough oxygen and increase your risk of heart disease, stroke, and other health problems. It can also cause snoring and leave you groggy the next day.
Some people with sleep-apnea use a CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) machine, which keeps your throat open while you sleep. However, if you have only mild sleep apnea, you can use a custom-made mouthguard to provide a similar effect.
Instead of simply covering up your teeth, a mouthguard for sleep apnea works to push your lower jaw and tongue forwards, keeping your airway wide open. Some types have a chin strap that goes around your chin and head to re-adjust your bottom jaw.
We would not recommend Stock Mouthguards for Sleep Apnea as they won't do anything. Speak to our team today about custom mouthguards for mild Sleep Apnea!
Mouthguards can also reduce snoring, which is caused by vibrations of soft tissue in the upper airway. They tend to work in a similar way to mouthguards for sleep-apnea. Both types of mouthguard pull your lower jaw forward to open your airway.
You'll find many mouthguards available in stores or online that claim to prevent you from snoring. However, there hasn’t been much research done on these mouthguards, and it’s not clear whether they’re actually effective.
If your snoring interferes with your daily life, speak to your dentist about mouthguard options. They may be able to make you a custom mouthguard, or they may recommend one that's worked well for their other patients.
How are Custom Mouthguards made?
Mouthguards can be worn by anyone, adults and children. Especially those who play contact sports like football, boxing, wrestling, rugby and hockey. However, even those who participate in noncontact sports (such as gymnastics) and any other recreational activity (such as skateboarding, mountain biking, etc.) that might pose a risk to the mouth would benefit greatly from wearing a mouthguard.
Adults and children who have a habit of grinding their teeth at night should wear a mouthguard to prevent tooth damage.
Frequently Asked Questions
Accidents can happen at any time and the advantage of using mouthguards during sports is that they can help limit the risk that you'll suffer mouth-related injuries to the lips, tongue, and the soft tissues of your mouth, such as the gums. Mouthguards also help prevent chipped, broken, or cracked teeth as well as nerve damage or even tooth loss, so they are definitely a good investment.