5 Interesting Facts About Sports Mouth Guard
Conditions like bruxism necessitate a patient to wear a mouth guard while sleeping. This is because teeth grinding can erode your teeth leading to tooth sensitivity and eventual tooth loss. On the other hand, mouth guards are essential during sports as they protect your teeth from trauma, especially during contact sports like boxing, rugby, and ice hockey.
It is important to look for the best-fitting mouth guards in Raritan, NJ, as wearing loose-fitting mouth guards can injure your teeth due to dental trauma. In addition, worn-out sports mouth guards should be replaced as wearing worn-out guards will not fully protect your teeth from impact during sports.
There are many amazing facts about sports mouth guards, and we will take you through each to ensure you grasp the benefits of a mouth guard.
1. You Can Wear A Mouth Guard With Braces.
It can be worrying when you want to participate in sports but are afraid of whether you can wear your sports guards with braces. For this to be possible, you will need to visit Stunning Smiles of Somerset so that our dentists can make a vacuum-formed mouth guard to fit well with your braces.
You should inform the dentist if your braces are too tight as this can hinder your jaw movement, and therefore your sports mouth guard will not align well with your teeth.
2. You Only Require A Sports Mouth Guard For The Top Teeth.
Most people require this type of mouth guard for their top teeth. This is because the upper teeth are more susceptible to blows and trauma, especially for boxers, and therefore wearing them will absorb the force that can break teeth and other soft tissues like your lips, tongue, and cheeks.
Nevertheless, there is an exception when wearing mouth guards on your upper teeth. People who wear braces or other fixed dental appliances must wear mouth guards covering their upper and lower teeth. This is because they have weak or misaligned teeth, and any trauma, especially in sports, can undo the good job that the braces had done.
3. Sports Mouth Guard Protect Your Teeth.
Most sports require you to wear a sports mouth guard. From football, basketball, hockey, and rugby, wearing a custom-fitting mouth guard is imperative to protect your teeth from trauma that can be experienced during the game.
Your sports mouth guard will act as a protective shield over your teeth during sports, and this will ensure that when you fall or get hit by a ball, the guard will absorb the shock preventing any injury to your teeth.
4. You Need To Replace Your Mouth Guard Every Six Months.
Dental appliances get worn out over time, and a sports mouth guard is no exception. If you are an athlete who frequently engages in sports, you might need to have multiple mouth guards where you can alternate when you wear one. This way, you can give your mouth guard time to dry. On top of that, it will reduce how quickly your mouth guard gets worn out.
Replacing your sports mouth guard is important as a worn-out guard will not be effective in protecting your teeth during sports.
5. Mouth Guards Have to Be Cleaned After Use.
Once you are done with your sporting activities, you should clean your mouth guard thoroughly. Bacteria will thrive in a dirty mouth guard, and these bacteria can be transferred easily to your teeth, causing detrimental effects.
Cleaning your sports mouth guard should be done with a toothbrush (not the one you brush your teeth with) and rinse it with cold water. After the mouth guard is dry, store it in a dry, ventilated container. This should be done each time you remove your guard after sports.
What Are the Benefits of Sports Mouth Guards?
The main aim of wearing a sports mouth guard is to protect your teeth from trauma during sports.
You might have undergone a dental procedure like getting dentures, a dental crown, or a dental bridge. Unfortunately, these dental appliances can be undone by trauma caused during sports. Protecting your dental work is important, as failure to do so will leave you in pain and with more costs to incur. Therefore, a sports mouth guard can protect your dental appliances during games.