Let’s talk Mouthguards

Is your child a hockey player? Maybe a basketball player? Baseball? If you answered YES to any of these sports, you need to read this article. Although any sport involving a hit to the face would benefit from the use of a mouthguard, baseball & basketball are the two main sports involving dental injuries. Athletes can help prevent oral trauma!

What’s the different kinds of Mouth guards?

A stock mouthguard is a “one size fits none” appliance. A stock mouthguard is only held in place by the athlete biting down, so when the athlete collides with another teammate the mouthguard shifts. This is the least protective type of appliance & also the most uncomfortable.

Boil and bite mouthguards have the same similarities as a stock mouthguard as they are sold at almost any drug store. When comparing the Stock and Boil & bite, the boiled mouthguard will adapt to the teeth better however, it does not have much thickness, which leads to variations in the amount of protection/force throughout the mouth.

Custom-made vacuum-formed mouthguards are fabricated using a “suck down/vacuum” machine. This mouthguard will be more protective than a stock or boil & bite. The big down fall is the thickness of the material. The material of a vacuum-formed mouthguard is very thin.

Custom-made pressure-formed mouthguards are vacuum-formed but provide multiple layers of material. The custom-made mouthguards fit snug, and improve adaptation to the teeth and gums, making the athlete comfortable. The more comfortable the appliance, the more likely an athlete is to use it.

Custom-made Mouthguard

FACT

The National Youth Sports Foundation for the Prevention of Athletic Injuries estimates that during a single season of play, athletes have a 10% chance of sustaining an injury to the face or mouth!

Reference: The journal of multidisciplinary care/Decisions in Dentistry