Mouthguards

Unlike other tissue, teeth generally do not heal and the result of a blow can disfigure your smile forever. Before facemasks and mouthguards were worn, half of all injuries during football occurred in or around a player's mouth. Each player had a one in ten chance of receiving a mouth injury during the season. In the past few years, high schools and colleges began to require that mouthguards and facemasks be worn for football. Since then, about 200,000 facial and oral injuries have been prevented each year. You do not have to be on the football field or in a hockey rink to benefit from a properly fitted mouthguard. New findings show that even in non-contact sports, mouthguards protect participants. Acrobatics, Baseball, Basketball, Boxing, Gymnastics, Handball, Inline skating, Lacrosse, Martial arts, Racquetball, Skateboarding, Skiing, Soccer, Softball, Volleyball and Wrestling are some of the sports where the potential for serious oral injuries can be inflicted. There are three types of mouthguards: 1) the ready-made or stock type 2) the Mouth-formed or boil and bite and 3) the custom made mouthguard by a dentist. Stock types can be purchased at most sporting stores. The mouth formed type is often the type provided by schools as it is reasonably inexpensive and adaptable. These sometimes are bulky and have a bad taste. The custom made mouthguard is individual designed using a special material that is molded over a model of the teeth. It is more likely to give you the most comfortable fit and protection, but is more expensive as it takes extra time and work to fabricate. The custom made mouthguard is least likely to interfere with speech or breathing. Handball, Inline skating, Lacrosse, Martial arts, Racquetball, Skateboarding, Skiing, Soccer, Softball, Volleyball and Wrestling are some of the sports where the potential for serious oral injuries can be inflicted. There are three types of mouthguards: 1) the ready-made or stock type 2) the Mouth-formed or boil and bite and 3) the custom made mouthguard by a dentist. Stock types can be purchased at most sporting stores. The mouth formed type is often the type provided by schools as it is reasonably inexpensive and adaptable. These sometimes are bulky and have a bad taste. The custom made mouthguard is individual designed using a special material that is molded over a model of the teeth. It is more likely to give you the most comfortable fit and protection, but is more expensive as it takes extra time and work to fabricate. The custom made mouthguard is least likely to interfere with speech or breathing.