How Custom Mouthguards Protect Your Teeth
Save Your Smile with a Perfect Fit from Total Care Dental in Madison
Football players never take the field without a helmet. Swimmers never enter the pool without eye goggles. Protective gear helps athletes stay healthy when they perform. One piece of equipment often overlooked is the mouthguard.
Athletes of all ages should have a custom-fit mouthguard as protective equipment. Store-bought guards come as “one size fits all”, which is often a compromise to protecting teeth. In fact, wearing a generic mouth guard could cause more damage to teeth than not. Custom-fit mouthguards from Total Care Dental are the answer. Our dentists will make a tailored mouth guard to ensure you or your child's teeth remain fully protected. Custom mouthguards are worth their price as an investment in your health and safety.
Why do I need a mouthguard?
Collisions and accidents happen in sports. An errant elbow during a tackle can hit your mouth and break a tooth. Plenty of athletes have lost multiple teeth from heavy contact during gameplay. What’s worse, an estimated third of dental emergencies are related to sports. These emergencies can be prevented with a custom-fit mouthguard. By securing your teeth in one position, the chances of a single tooth cracking or coming loose are far less. Custom mouth guards for sports can also prevent accidental biting of your tongue or cheek.
In fact, student-athletes are usually required to have mouthguards - especially in contact sports. Any sport which involves high speeds, heights, or movement should be played using a mouth guard to prevent dental damage. Even a recreational bike rider could benefit from a mouthguard in the event of a fall. Certain college and pro-level sports even require mouthguards. If you are an adult athlete and not considering a mouthguard, it's better to be safe than sorry.
Benefits of custom-fit guards
There is a common misconception about mouthguards impairing communication by making it hard to speak. This may be true of oversized mouthguards, but custom mouthguards let you speak clearly. Going the custom route is yet another reason to ditch the “one size fits all” generic mouth guard and invest in your health and game. And the dentists at Total Care Dental can make this investment worth your while.
Mouth guards are good for more than just contact sports - they’re beneficial for any sport. Different athletic activities place different strains on the teeth. While it might be evident for someone involved in contact sports to wear a mouth guard, many non-contact sports participants don’t realize the full benefits. Many sports injuries occur from contact in contact sports. And injuries to your teeth and mouth are no exception. You can eliminate this risk altogether with a custom mouthguard.
Those with Invisalign braces should use mouth guards. If you participate in a sport and have Invisalign braces, be sure to get a custom mouthguard. Your Invisalign aligners aren’t designed to withstand heavy impacts from sports. Switch to a custom mouthguard during sporting activities instead to protect the new alignment of your teeth.
What should you do if you accidentally hit a tooth during sports?
Get to your dentist ASAP! Don’t try to finish practice or the game. Waiting until your game is over is a costly mistake. The sooner Total Care Dental dentists can see you the greater the chances of fixing the problem and avoiding further damage. Even a knocked-out tooth can be saved if addressed quickly.
Grinding teeth in your sleep? Mouthguards can help.
Have an issue with grinding your teeth while asleep? Custom-fit mouthguards are the solution. Teeth grinding is a problem many people suffer from. Whether it’s stress, nightmares or simply a tense jaw, the effects of teeth grinding aren’t worth ignoring. Clenching and grinding your teeth as you sleep can cause tooth chipping and wear.
By using a custom mouth guard, you add a cushion barrier to prevent these issues from happening. Plus, not only do mouth guards protect your teeth, they also protect your tongue, gums and cheeks. Mouthguards are essential for overall oral health and hygiene. Traumatic tooth injuries have the potential to never heal. That’s why prevention using a custom mouth guard is essential.
Contact Total Care Dental of Madison to request a custom-fitted mouth guard or for other dental offerings.
