Mouth guards fit over your teeth to protect them when you are playing contact sports. They can also help patients who grind their teeth. Mouth guards are made of soft rubber like material and are made to measure to fit your mouth, ensuring your teeth and gums are as well-protected as possible.
If you play a contact sport such as boxing or martial arts, or a sport that involves moving objects, such as football, rugby or hockey, you should wear a mouth guard at all times when playing. Failure to do so can result in broken or damaged teeth, or even a broken or dislocated jaw. Using a mouth guard will help to prevent such injuries.
Many people also suffer from bruxism, the medical name for grinding your teeth, at some point in their life. Bruxism often arises at times of stress, and can also be a side-effect of some medications and medical conditions. It often goes away on its own, but can cause damage to the teeth and other structures. Persistently clenching and grinding your teeth can wear them down and can cause other problems including jaw pain and headaches. A mouth guard helps to prevent this by relieving the pressure and impact of teeth grinding together.
If you need a mouth guard, your Dentist will first take an impression of your teeth and study how they bite together so that your mouth guard will fit you perfectly. Once it has been made at the lab, your Dentist will check it fits properly.
If teeth are still developing, in child and young adult patients, you may need to have your sports guard replaced fairly regularly as your mouth grows. Adult patients whose teeth are fully developed should not require such frequent replacement, but we advise that you bring your sports guard to your routine dental check-ups to ensure that it still fits properly and to check for any natural wear and tear.Back to Treatments