According to the American Dental Association, more than 200,000 injuries to the mouth are prevented every year because people wore mouth guards to protect their smile. If you engage in contact sports or other athletic activities, you might consider wearing an athletic mouth guard. This simple appliance shields your smile from injury by covering and cushioning the upper teeth and gums, and by preventing accidental harm to your jaws and lips as well.
Which sports can a mouth guard help?
The American Dental Association recommends mouth guards be worn during the following activities: Acrobats, basketball, boxing, field hockey, football, gymnastics, handball, ice hockey, lacrosse, martial arts, racquetball, roller hockey, rugby, shot putting skateboarding, skiing, skydiving, soccer, squash, surfing, wrestling, weightlifting, volleyball, and water polo.
What does a mouth guard do for me?
An athletic mouth guard protects against fracturing or breaking teeth, knocking out or displacing teeth, biting lips and cheeks and protecting against jaw fractures.
Reasons people don’t wear their mouth guard
- It feels uncomfortable
- It makes breathing uncomfortable
- It interferes with speech
- Peer pressure
- The sport doesn’t require it, even though trauma can occur
Reasons to wear a mouth guard:
- Protects the jaw joints against trauma/injury
- Prevents injury to your neck and jaw
- Protects the teeth against impact from force
- Protects the soft tissues in the mouth from injury/trauma
- Can protect against concussion
Where do I get a mouth guard?
While you can find a basic stock mouth guard and boil and bite mouth guards in most sporting goods stores, your most comfortable, best-fitting mouth guard that eliminate discomfort, speech impairment and breathing complaints common with store-bought mouth guards comes from our custom-made athletic mouth guards.
Please call 973-360-9800 at Family Dentistry, to learn more about our mouth guards and to schedule a consultation with Dr. Monila Reheman and our team. We are pleased to provide custom athletic mouth guards in Madison, New Jersey, for our patients who are active in contact sports!
