What are Sports Mouthguards
Sports mouthguards protect a wearer’s teeth from injuries while they engage in sporting activities. Certain sporting activities such as football, rugby, boxing, hockey, and gymnastics carry a high risk of leading to situations and incidents that can have a significant impact on your face. Therefore, it is crazy to hit the field or court or ring without taking measures to keep your teeth safe. You might fall on your face, bump onto something hard, or a punch might land on your mouth, knocking out your teeth, or lead to other injuries.
Sports mouthguards reduce this impact, keeping your teeth safe. Some suitable sports mouthguards include Stock Mouthguards and Boil-and-Bite Mouthguards. These can be bought from most sporting goods shops or even some drug stores. Stock Mouthguards come in various sizes, unlike Boil-and-Bite mouthguards, which come in one size, requiring customization by boiling to soften – then biting to a custom fit.
Very few people wear a sports mouthguard while playing sports which is unfortunate because they prevent very serious dental injuries.
The Australian Dental Association (ADA) on sports mouthguards
The ADA has reported that sports-related injuries result in 40% of overall dental injuries yet not very many Australians wear a mouthguard when playing contact sports. According to ADA president, Dr. Michael Jones dental trauma from a sporting injury can result in tooth nerve damage, fractured, cracked or knocked-out teeth, a broken jaw and damage to your tongue and lips.
According to Dr. Jonas wearing a mouthguard custom-fitted by your dentist while both training and playing sport is an easy and safe way to help protect against these injuries. Not only does it help protect your teeth, but it can also help prevent jaw fractures, lacerations, and other severe cuts and wounds too.
The ADA claims that a mouthguard is far less expensive than a dental injury or having your tooth knocked out which could cost over $4500. The following are 6 questions about sports mouthguards that our dental clinic in London, Ontario gets all the time.
How might a mouthguard for sports fit?
Your sports mouthguard ought to fit against your upper teeth so you won’t have to grip or nibble your mouthguard set up so it fits accurately. The mouthguard ought to be secure and tight without falling or moving awkwardly around in your mouth.
Could a sports mouthguard fix my teeth?
In spite of what you might have heard sports mouthguards can’t fix your teeth as per Jeffery Schaefer, DDS, MSD, an orthodontist in San Diego. Regardless of whether the mouthguard is handcrafted its motivation is to safeguard your teeth from crushing, jaw grasping or injury.
What sort of sports mouthguard would it be advisable for me to get?
You ought to get a sports mouthguard that closes somewhere close to your first and second molar and covers every one of your teeth and gums. Your sports mouthguard shouldn’t cover your upper jaw or delicate sense of taste because that will be awkward and lead to choking.
As indicated by the Canadian Dental Association, there are two main types of sports mouthguards
1. Stock: “one size fits all” Stock Sports mouthguards are industrially accessible in stores. Since they are not redone to accommodate your mouth, they are frequently awkward and confine breathing and discourse. Likewise, the wearer needs to grasp their teeth together to get the sports mouthguard to remain set up. This is the most prudent mouthguard for contact sports yet it additionally offers the least protection.
2. Mouth-shaped: are warmed in water and the client chomps into it to fit their teeth. Most have a removable tie to append to a head protector. They are less cumbersome than the stock version also, fit somewhat better, however, frequently prove troublesome and require the wearer to grind their teeth together to hold the sports mouthguard set up. These are too reasonable and offer a lower level of assurance as contrasted with exclusively created sports mouthguards.
How thick should a sports mouth be made?
The standard thickness of a sports mouthguard is approximately 4mm for use in most pro athletics like football, ball, rugby, and hockey. Your dental specialist will decide the thickness of your gadget relying upon your gamble of becoming harmed during sports. In specific outrageous sporting events, a thickness of 5-6mm might be utilized to more readily safeguard your grin.
How do sports mouthguards safeguard the jaws also, teeth?
Assuming you experience a hard impact to the jaw or teeth, a sports mouthguard is used as a safeguard so that the power is conveyed and retained all through the apparatus. As indicated by a recent report that assessed the ability of sports mouthguards, the by and large injury risk was viewed as 1.5 to twice more noteworthy at the point when a sports mouthguard was not worn during athletic movement
