Why Do You Need A Sports Guard?

June 22, 2022

The best way to protect your teeth, mouth and lips when playing contact sports such as hockey or football is to wear a sports guard.

Your Sports Guard Cannot Be Used As A Night Guard

While both of these appliances protect your teeth, they do so in specific ways. Night guards, unlike sports guards, prevent you from grinding your teeth and clenching your jaw at night. Sports guards are mainly designed to protect your teeth and gums from impact injuries. Patients often assume that since both sports guards and night guards serve the same purpose of avoiding tooth damage, they’re interchangeable.

How Do I Choose A Sports Guard?

There are different sports guards for specific sports or activities, ranging from basketball to ice-skating or mountain biking, which will vary depending on the kind of impacts or mouth injuries that could potentially occur. We recommend that you seek the advice of your dentist, who will help you find the best mouth guard for yourself or the athletes in your family. For patients with braces, it is often recommended to have a customized mouth guard that will ensure that both the upper and lower teeth are protected and that the wires and brackets don’t damage your cheeks, gums and tongue.

What Is The Cost Like?

Generic mouth guards can be purchased from various stores for a relatively low price, ranging from $25 to $45 on average. However, since they aren’t custom fit, they may not adequately protect your teeth from risks associated with the specific activity or sports you practice. Further, they can sometimes lead to a sore jaw, prevent you from easily putting them in and out of your mouth, increase the amount of saliva in your mouth, and usually make talking and even breathing more difficult.

Another option is to purchase a “boil and bite” guard from a sporting goods store. These guards will fit better than generic store-bought mouth guards. As the name indicates, you will need to boil the plastic mouth guard in water and then bite into it for a customized fit. The best option remains to get a custom-fit sports guard. While they are slightly more expensive, they guarantee an enhanced level of protection from impact injuries and may have a longer life span. We recommend adults replace their sports guard every year, if not each season, and children at least every six months.

Sports Guard Considerations

While it might be tempting to chew on your sports guard before attempting that three-pointer, you should refrain from doing so, as this bad habit will damage and deform your sports guard.

If your sports guard is damaged, it is recommended that you do not use it as protection, as it could cause injury to your mouth. If you cannot get a replacement right away, we recommend that you consider wearing store-bought temporary teeth cover until your next visit to the dentist.

If your bite has changed, you should change your sports guard. Even if you’ve only had one tooth extraction, you must remind your dentist that you’re using a sports guard to ensure that it won’t impact the fit and effectiveness of the appliance.

Lastly, if your sports guard feels too loose or tight, it is an excellent idea to let your dentist know about it at your next visit.

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