Mouth Guards
Protective Mouth Guards
Mouth guards are an important piece of equipment in contact sports and should be worn by athletes of all ages who participate in any sport where contact is a possibility. The mouth guard helps protect against structural damage to your teeth and jaw in the event of an impact to the mouth and can prevent injuries such as lacerations to your cheeks, tongue, and lips. Mouth guards have also been shown to help decrease the risk of concussions.
Mouth guards are available in most sporting goods store, however, for the highest level of comfort and protection, we recommend coming to the office for a custom fit mouth guard. A custom mouth guard is created specifically for the optimal protection of YOUR mouth with plastic that is hardened to protect your teeth. The thinness of the custom mouth guard allows for easy breathing and also allows for easy communication.
Night Guards
Many people are afflicted with bruxism, or teeth grinding. Some people may do this consciously during the day, but it is a larger problem at night while you are asleep. Grinding your teeth can damage enamel, wear down teeth, cause jaw pain, or irritate your gums. The noise from teeth grinding can also disturb your spouse’s sleep if loud enough.
If you grind your teeth you should consider a night guard. The night guard, which is very similar to a mouth guard worn by athletes, provides a barrier between your top and bottom teeth while you sleep. All night guards are custom fit for comfort and to allow for proper breathing. Your dentist will take an impression of your teeth and have the night guard created by a dental lab. Night guards are very durable and can last for years.