Why you need mouth guards

Dental mouth guards are protective appliances that are meant to be worn over the teeth, and used to protect your teeth from accidents and injuries while playing sports. The guards are also used to control damage to the teeth in patients who suffer from bruxism or teeth grinding.

Usually, mouth guards are meant to cover only the upper teeth, but you can have mouth guards made for the lower teeth too. This is especially true in the case of patients who wear dental braces. A mouth guard must be sturdy enough to protect your teeth, and must also be comfortable to wear. It must be resilient and durable, and should also be easy to clean and maintain. It should not obstruct respiration or speaking.

Mouth guards can be used by adults and children who play rough sports like hockey, football, soccer, boxing and basketball. They can also be used by people who take part in other sports that may not be contact sports, but still have some risk of injury, like gymnastics. In fact, mouth guards can be used whenever any sporting or recreational activity poses accident and injury hazards to the mouth.

Advantages of using mouth guards
It is not possible to guarantee that you will not suffer an accident while playing sports. In the event of an accident, the impact on your teeth, mouth, lips, tongue and soft inner cheek tissues can be serious. Your teeth can get knocked down, chipped or broken. There can be damage to the tooth.

Types of mouth guards
There are basically 3 types of mouth guards, and they come in different levels of quality – Stock mouth protectors, Boil and bite mouth protectors, and Custom fitted mouth protectors.

Stock mouth protectors are mouth guards that are pre-fabricated and ready to wear. They are available at any sporting gear stores, and are basically one-size-fits-all. This is in fact the biggest problem with these protectors, because you can do very little to change the way they fit. They tend to be bulky, and can interfere with breathing and talking. When it comes to a serious injury, these protectors may not help much.

Boil and bite mouth protectors fit slightly better than stock mouth protectors. They are called "boil and bite" guards because the protector is made from thermoplastic material which is softened in hot water and then shaped to fit around the teeth.

Custom fitted mouth protectors are made by your dentist, and are designed to fit your mouth. The dentist will first take an impression of your teeth, and then mold a mouth guard making use of a special material. This kind of mouth guard is costlier than the other 2 types, but it's also more comfortable, and offers better protection to your mouth.

Caring for your mouth guard involves rinsing with cold water before and after use, and cleaning with a regular tooth paste.