Protect your smile while you play
The result of the injury can negatively impact on the individual’s life outside of sports and can result in having expensive dental treatment over extended period to maintain the strength and health of the damaged teeth.
Protect your smile while you play
The result of the injury can negatively impact on the individual’s life outside of sports and can result in having expensive dental treatment over extended period to maintain the strength and health of the damaged teeth.
Australian children enjoy a growing interest in sport participation, whether it’s footy, netball, basketball, cricket, or soccer.
However, with this increase in participation comes an increase in risk of dental and orofacial injuries; including damage to the tooth nerve, fractured or knocked-out teeth, a broken jaw, damage to the tongue and cut lips. Fortunately, these injuries are preventable with the use of a mouthguard. The Australian Dental Association strongly recommends wearing mouthguard during sports or activities that involve collision or where contact is likely (including during training sessions), as prevention is always better than the cure.
Custom
Custom-made and Colourful
A custom mouth guard is a thick piece of plastic that sits snugly around your teeth, protecting them from damage. At Dentist WA Canning Vale our mouthguards are custom-fitted to ensure maximum protection and are available in a selection of colours. A custom-fitted mouthguard also ensures proper ventilation and speech with a better fit than other varieties available over the counter as they are made to suit individual needs.
Boil-and-Bite
Over the counter
Boil-and-bite mouthguards are available to buy over the counter. For these, you would boil the pre-made mouthguard in water to soften the plastic, then bite into it. This is a step up from one-size-fits-all mouthguards but is not as fitted or protective as custom mouthguards.
What is a custom mouthguard?
A custom mouth guard is a thick piece of plastic that sits snugly around your teeth, protecting them from damage. There are mouthguards that you can buy ‘off the shelf’ at pharmacies and sports stores. However, these are not made specifically for your teeth and are, therefore, usually not a very good fit. While they will offer more protection than nothing, they are not the gold standard when it comes to mouthguards.
The gold standard in mouthguards are custom made by a dentist or dental professional. These are made by taking impressions of your teeth and gums, and having the mouthguard made to your exact mouth. This means every tooth will sit close against the mouth guard, leaving no room for it to move.
Review the custom colour chart here
Sports mouthguards are most often used for contact sports, such as rugby or hockey. Players can (and do) receive knocks to the face that can easily damage teeth, which is why custom mouthguards are an essential piece of safety gear.
Mouthguards are also sometimes used for other applications, such as for those who grind their teeth in their sleep (bruxism). This common issue can wear away teeth over time, so a mouthguard will help to prevent that damage.
What to expect from your custom mouthguard appointment
The first step is taking impressions of you or your child’s mouth to create a mouthguard with a customised fit. This simple process involves taking impressions of the upper jaw. They’re then sent to our local dental laboratory, where an experienced technician will custom-design your mouthguard.
Over time, it may be necessary to replace the mouthguard, particularly as it becomes worn. To determine if you or your child requires a new one, please bring it to your bi-yearly checkup, and one of our dentists will inspect it for you.
01Brush and floss before your appointment
02Your dentist will take impressions of your teeth with a special clay
03They will remove the clay impressions and your appointment is finished
04You’ll be in and out within 20 minutes
05It will take a week or two for the lab to create your custom mouthguard
06You will return to your dentist to pick up the mouthguard and ensure it fits well
How does a dental mouthguard work?
You might be required to wear a custom mouthguard to play your chosen sport, or your dentist might recommend one to help protect your teeth during sleep if you have bruxism. During your mouthguard appointment, your dentist will take impressions of your teeth. To do this, you will bite down into a soft clay-like material, and hold this pose for a minute or two. The dentist will remove the new impression and send it away to a lab.
It will usually take a week or two for the lab to create a custom-made mouthguard for your teeth. They will work with instructions from your dentist, which could mean adding a hard insert for very high-impact sports.
Once the mouthguard is ready, you will return to your dentist to pick it up and ensure it fits well. If you wear it often for regular sports, you may be advised to replace it once per year, but it’s important to bring your mouthguard to future dental check-ups so your dentist can check and ensure its strength and integrity.
The advantages of a custom-fitted mouthguard
Custom mouthguards are extremely useful for keeping your teeth and gums in good condition, even when playing contact sports.
Minimises and avoids damage
Custom-made mouthguards are the gold standard in minimising and avoiding damage from sports-related injuries, as their tight fit ensures teeth have a good layer of protection and that they can’t move during an impact.
Comfortable wear
When a mouthguard is made specifically for your mouth, it is more comfortable to wear and makes it easier to breathe than a non-custom mouthguard.
Avoids costly, painful repairs
From chipped and broken teeth to knocked out teeth that require emergency dental treatment, a custom mouthguard can help to avoid the pain and trauma as well as the cost of getting these issues fixed.
Better fit and stability
Custom mouthguards are shaped specifically to your teeth, helping them stay securely in place during movement and sport without needing to constantly bite down.
Game faces need protection. Nearly 40% of dental injuries are sports-related, yet many players skip a mouthguard. Book your custom mouthguard early so it’s ready before the season starts.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Australian Dental Association (ADA) recommends that any person who engages in a sport that has a risk of facial contact wear a mouthguard. A sports mouthguard also helps absorb the shock experienced by a blow to the face. If the mouth isn’t shielded, a mouth or jaw injury can result. A severe collision can result in chipped or broken teeth, internal damage to a tooth, the loss of a tooth, or injuries to the soft tissue of the mouth. In serious cases, one could sustain a broken jaw or concussion.
Injuries such as these can progress to lengthy and potentially expensive treatment to restore the teeth and the mouth back to normal function and appearance.
The Australian Dental Association recommends custom-fitted mouthguards as being vital for the proper protection of your children’s teeth. A correctly fitted custom-made mouthguard shields your child’s teeth, gums and jaw. It allows them to breathe and speak more easily compared to wearing an over-the-counter mouthguard.
It’s our experience that boil-and-bite mouthguards can put your child’s teeth at greater risk than not wearing a mouthguard. Such mouthguards also tend to be uncomfortable and may fit incorrectly. A poorly fitting mouthguard tends to move around the mouth rather than stay in the correct position. This movement can be dangerous in impact scenarios involving the head or face. These often occur in sports such as football when mouthguards are being worn.
Our dentists use an impression of your child’s teeth to have a custom-fitted mouthguard made. Your dentist will be able to accurately evaluate your child’s mouth to provide the ideal size, coverage and thickness to offer excellent protection for your child, relative to their sport.
Your dentist will evaluate your developing child’s mouthguard during their regular checkups to make sure it still fits properly. It may need to be modified or replaced as your child’s mouth changes through growth or the presence of new teeth. It’s essential that all mouthguards be evaluated annually to ensure ongoing proper fit.
Yes. It’s vital to protect your child’s baby (primary) teeth as they play a critical role in how the adult teeth develop. The primary teeth reserve space for the adult teeth and help guide them into their proper position. It’s likely that your child will need a new sports mouthguard every year until they are about 16 to 18 years of age.
We use a local lab to custom-make our mouthguards. Typically, they take two weeks. If you have any questions, please contact the practice.
So excessive bacteria don’t accumulate on your mouthguard, it’s essential to rinse it in cold soapy water after every use. After drying it, store it in the protective container we will provide you. You should keep it in a cool place as elevated temperatures can cause warping. Never place your mouthguard in the dishwasher to clean it.
Contact our practice, and one of our friendly team members will be able to help you. As the impression that we take only can be used one time, it will be necessary to take another impression for the new mouthguard.
Yes; we fit many kids who have braces with mouthguards. All children who play contact sports need to wear a custom-fitted mouthguard.