Blog Post

How to Choose the Right Mouthguard

Manor Road Dental Practice Ltd • Nov 12, 2019
Mouthguard

If you do any kind of sport or find that you are grinding your teeth at night, you need to look at getting a mouthguard. They are designed to help protect your teeth from damage and injury and should be considered a necessity if you are involved in any impact sports.

Types of Mouthguards

There are a number of different mouthguard options on the market. You can find:

Stock

These are found in any sporting goods store and they usually come in three basic sizes. They’re meant to protect just your top teeth and are not a great fit. While they provide more protection than not using a mouthguard, these ones are not the best choice.

Boil and Bite

You’ll also find mouthguards that you drop into boiling water to soften them up, then you bite them to mould them exactly to your teeth. While fairly cheap, they tend to be thinner in areas where you need more protection. They fit better than the stock options, but still won’t be as snug as they could be if they were custom made.

Custom

Your dentist can also create a mouthguard for you that is specifically made from a mould of your teeth. This will fit precisely and is a better option than the above choices. While more expensive, custom made guards will stay in your mouth and have a lower chance of causing choking.

If you’re wearing a mouthguard for sports, anything that helps protect your mouth is a good idea. However, if you are trying to prevent grinding teeth at night, you really need to be sure that you have good protection that won’t shift or slip into your throat while you sleep.

Your dentist will make a casting of your teeth and work from this to create a tight fitting guard that you can use for the best protection. It will be designed to absorb pressure where you most need it and will keep any type of damage at bay.

Of course, strong punches or kicks to the face can still damage your mouth if they’re strong enough. However, you’re less likely to loosen or even lose a tooth if you have mouth protection. It’s essential to use during:

Martial arts

Wrestling

Football

Soccer

Hockey

Skateboarding

Volleyball

Basketball

Gymnastics

Any of these has the possibility of damage to the face, which could cause permanent dental injury if you’re not protected.

Get the mouthguard designed by your dentist to give you peace of mind and security for your mouth. You’ll find that it helps immensely in the event of a blow to the face and can ease sleep apnoea and tooth grinding, as well.

Do you need a mouthguard? Contact Manor Road Dentists today.

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