What Is A Mouthguard Used For?
They can be used to protect you from some serious sporting injuries, such as broken jaws, fractured, cracked or knocked-out teeth, cut lips and tongues. Mouthguards can be used for contact and non-contact sports as all sports carry risks of accidental collision and dental trauma.
How Does A Mouthguard Work?
A mouthguard is made by taking impressions of your teeth and jaw. This is then custom fitted into your mouth and it works by absorbing and spreading the impact of the damaging blow.
A mouthguard that is custom-fitted by your dentist is far better than an over the counter mouthguard as it is designed to fit your exact contours of your mouth, is resilient, moves with your bite and allows speech and normal breathing
In contrast, self-fitted, over-the-counter mouthguards do not protect the teeth, are loosely fitted, impede breathing and speaking, and can even wedge in the back of the throat at impact which could be life threatening.
How Do You Maintain A Mouthguard?
To keep your mouthguard up to scratch, you’ll need to keep it out of the sun, wash it in cold water after use, and store it on the supplied plastic model cast. Every time you go in for a dental check-up, be sure to bring your mouthguard in as well.
Only dental professionals can design and manufacture a custom-fitted mouthguard that provides adequate protection.
How Long Do They Last For?
If properly used, stored, maintained and checked by your dentist every year, a custom-fitted mouthguard should last many seasons.