How to Choose Athletic Mouthguards
Athletic mouthguards are critical to your child’s success on the field. Just as you take care to choose the right uniform and shoes, be careful as you look for covering for your child’s mouth and teeth.
How can you find the best athletic mouthguards out there? We’re glad you asked. Let us explain.
Why Athletic Mouthguards Are Needed
You love your child’s smile, and it’s hard to think about covering up those pearly whites with a stiff athletic mouthguard. But doing so is critical.
Common dental injuries associated with sports include:
- Fractures. Your child falls or takes a hit to the jaw, and teeth crack or break.
- Avulsions. Your child’s entire tooth, including the root, is knocked out of the mouth.
- Luxations. Your child’s tooth remains in the socket, but it’s facing the wrong direction.
Athletic mouthguards should protect your child’s teeth and jaw during rough sports. Devices are recommended if your child engages in contact sports like basketball, football, and ice hockey. Solo sports like surfing, acrobatics, and weightlifting can also result in injuries and require protection. If you’re not sure if your child needs an athletic mouthguard, ask your dentist.
What Are Custom Athletic Mouthguards?
Walk into any grocery store or pharmacy, and you’ll see aisles filled with mouthguards. Take a product home, boil it in water, pop it in your child’s mouth, and you’ll have protection.
Unfortunately, store-bought products aren’t ideal for all children.
Custom mouthguards are made with imprints of your child’s mouth and teeth. They’re molded to the exact specifications of your child’s mouth, and they’re made to offer protection for the specific sport your child plays.
The best athletic mouthguards come from this process. They’re thinner than traditional models, so they won’t impede your child’s breathing or performance on the field. And since they’re made to order, they’re often much more comfortable than off-the-shelf versions.
Custom mouthguards also help to keep your child’s jaws apart, and that’s critical protection during a blow to the head. The impact is spread across a wide area, and that keeps forces from rattling your child’s brain within the skull.
A mouthguard like this can be more expensive than the version you’d buy in the store. But since it offers more protection and enhanced comfort, it’s a good investment in your child’s health.
We’d like to create the best athletic mouthguard for your child. We can take impressions here in our office, and we’ll have your product ready in just a few days. You’ll need an appointment to get started, but we make scheduling easy. Contact us to start a conversation.