It's critical to understand how to avoid face and mouth injuries, especially if you participate in organised sports or other sorts of recreational activities. Similarly, if you grind your teeth while sleeping without wearing a nightguard, you may have migraines or wear your teeth, increasing your chance of tooth breakage or loss.
Mouthguards are designed to reduce the risk of injury to:
- Tongue
- Lips
- Gums
- Jaw
- Face
- Teeth
They usually protect the sensitive tissues of your lips, tongue, and cheek lining by covering your top teeth. Because your upper teeth protrude more, they may be more vulnerable to harm. Because your bottom teeth are further back than your two front teeth, they offer more built-in protection.
Candidates for Mouthguards
Dental injuries, such as shattered jaws, are always a possibility in contact sports. Making a mouthguard a normal piece of athletic equipment from a young age can help protect your mouth and teeth from damage.
Mouthguards may be beneficial for athletes who participate in contact sports, such as those listed below:
- Boxing
- Football
- Basketball
- Hockey or Ice Hockey
- Lacrosse
- Soccer
This isn't to say that folks who don't participate in contact sports can't benefit from a mouthguard. Non-contact sports participants, such as gymnastics and skating, may choose to wear them as well. Additionally, all adults and children who grind their teeth at sleep may benefit from wearing a mouthguard.
Types of Mouthguards
A common question that dentists get from people looking for a new mouthguard is, "Do I truly need a custom-fit mouthguard, or can I get by with an off-the-shelf mouthguard?"
This is a topic which is worth discussing, and the answer is dependent on your own choices in terms of comfort, price range, materials, and level of protection. First, let's go through the two different sorts of mouth guards.
What are the Over-the-counter Mouthguards?
Over-the-counter mouthguards are identical to many mouthguards worn by players during sports, with the exception that they are designed to prevent teeth grinding at night.
What are Custom made Mouthguards?
A dental practitioner will prescribe and make a custom-fit mouthguard out of thermoplastic material based on a precise mould of your mouth and teeth.
These mouthguards are very customised since your dentist may alter the thickness based on your level of teeth grinding and clenching, and they are made to fit properly in your mouth with no adjustments required. Custom mouthguards are constructed differently depending on whether they will be used for sports or for nightly teeth grinding.
How are Customer Mouthguards made?
The first stage in constructing your custom-fit mouthguard is for your dentist to take an imprint of your teeth. Unlike store-bought mouthguards, which just form the basic shape of the tooth line, this is usually done with a dental putty that forms to all the crevices of each tooth and creates an accurate mould of your smile.
This mould is then used at the dentist's office or, more commonly, sent to a lab to be turned into a mouthguard. The structure is created by layering superheated plastic to exact specifications and then cooling it to make a highly durable dental wear.
How Well do Custom Mouthguards work?
Custom mouthguards are able to provide you with the best safety and comfort because they are so precisely made. Over-the-counter mouthguards will never be able to achieve this.
The amount of protection provided by custom-fitted mouthguards is unrivaled by any other mouthguard, and the snug design, which hugs each tooth securely and prevents unwanted movement, adds to their durability. Custom-fit mouthguards can be made thicker for those who grind, clench, or gnash their teeth aggressively at night, easing and reducing pressure on the jaw.
Custom v/s Over-the-Counter Mouthguard - Which works best for me?
The answer to this question is contingent on a number of variables, including:
- Individual Preference
- Level of Comfort
- Budgeted Price Range
- Preferred Materials
- Protection level desired or required
Benefits of Custom made Mouthguards
1. A Customised Fit
Because your dentist individually fits them to your teeth, bespoke dental guards are meant to keep you from grinding your teeth. The thickness of the custom-fitted mouthguard might vary depending on how bad your grinding is. Custom-fitted mouthguards may improve jaw muscle posture and relieve jaw tension, thus preventing you from grinding and clenching your teeth during the day and night. Dentists can customise the design for almost any sport.
2. Added Security
Dentists recommend custom-fit mouthguards to protect teeth, gums, and mouth. Custom-fit guards beat store-bought mouthguards in reducing the risk of concussion, according to a study published in Digital Journal.
3. A Higher Level of Comfort
The less noticeable and comfy a guard is, the more probable it is that it will be used. Over-the-counter mouthguards are not fitted to the individual's mouth by dentists, which may make them less pleasant than mouthguards created by dentists. Furthermore, if a guard isn't comfortable, the wearer is more likely to chew it, reducing its thickness and making it less protective over time.
Custom-fit mouthguards also provide the following advantages:
- Tasteless
- Tear-resistant
- Resilient
- Odorless
You may find that a custom-fit guard fits snugly and comfortably in your mouth without harming the insides of your gums or cheeks.
Custom-made v/s Over-the-counter Mouthguards - Which one makes better sense?
Mouth and dental injuries come with a slew of dangers. According to a 2014 analysis from the National Institutes of Health, sports injuries account for 13% of all dental trauma in children, with boys having a 50% higher likelihood of being injured than girls.
It is ultimately your decision whether to use an over-the-counter night guard or a dentist-fit mouthguard. To decide which one makes the most sense for you, you must balance the advantages and disadvantages of each.
Custom-fit mouthguards, which are made specifically for your teeth and mouth by dentists, may provide you with additional comfort and protection. Over-the-counter guards may not be comfortable for you or provide the level of security you require.
Many variables will wear down the flexible plastic used in OTC guards faster than the tougher material used in custom-made guards. In contrast to custom-fit guards, which are made to last, store-bought mouthguards may lose their shape.
Get a Custom-Fit Mouthguard from Local Dental Clinics Today!
Whether you're considering a store-bought, over-the-counter mouthguard or a custom-fit mouthguard, talk to your dentist about your individual needs first. If you're looking for a custom-fitted mouthguard, contact any Local Dental Clinic near you to schedule an appointment now..!!
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