Should my child wear a mouthguard?
The use of mouthguards is a great way to protect your child’s teeth if they are participating in any contact sport. Mouthguards are designed to absorb the impact and reduce the risk of dental injury. Our office makes custom mouthguards for patients that have all of their permanent teeth. This ensures a snug and secure fit while providing optimal breathability.
What can happen if you don’t wear a mouth guard?
Mouthguards are designed to reduce the risk of dental injury. It can also minimize the risk of injury to lips, tongue, face, and jaw. Mouth guards provide optimal protection for the teeth, lips, and jaw. Without a mouthguard, a quick hit to the face can render lip cuts from teeth, missing or loose teeth, and jaw injuries. As the mouth guard is easy to bite down onto, it’ll provide protection as your child rolls and tumbles in sports too.
Frequently Asked Questions
How are mouth guards cleaned?
Mouth guards should be routinely cleaned and kept in a case to prevent excess bacteria from growing on them. Remember, your child will have this in their mouth for hours at a time throughout the week! Scrub the mouth guard with water and s soft soap, like dish soap. Toothpaste can damage the mouth guard as toothpaste has small particles that will be too abrasive to scrub the material with.
My child is gagging on their mouth guard. What should I do?
If your child is gagging on their mouth guard, it might be too large. If it was a custom fitted mouth guard from office, please bring it in and we can make the proper adjustments to make the mouth guard fit better. If the mouth guard was purchased at the store, you'll need to cut the ends of the mouth guard off. The mouth guard should fit comfortably between the second to last and last molar in the mouth. Cutting the mouth guard to fit here should reduce your child's gag reflex and create a more comfortable fit.
Can mouth guards be worn if you have braces?
Yes! Braces add even more risk to the mouth as the brackets and wiring can cause deep cuts. The wiring is also a hazard because if a single tooth is pulled from its socket, it can cause a cascading effect where mulitple teeth are pulled from the gumline at once. Since the bite and teeth placement change rapidly under orthodontic treatment, it's easiest to purchase a mouth guard from the store that are commonly known as boil and bite. After their orthodontic treatment is complete, we can build your child a custom mouth guard.
My child is chewing on their mouth guard, how to help?
If your child has chewed through their mouth guard during practice, it's not as protective as it once was. It's possible that the mouth guard does not fit as intended. The mouth guard should fit semi-tightly along the upper jaw, to the point where your child can speak with the mouth guard in. If the mouth guard is slipping down and it's become a temptation to chew, your child needs a mouth guard that fits better.