West Green Family Dental

21350 FM 529 Suite 400 Cypress, Texas 77433

Blog

Dental hygiene tips for healthy teeth & gums

Why You Should Get a Mouthguard for Your Child?

Protecting your kid’s smile while playing sports is extremely important. There are a large number of contact sports that requires children to wear mouthguards to protect teeth from the force of an impact. According to the research by ADA, more than 200,000 oral injuries are prevented every year by wearing a mouthguard. Mouthguards not only prevent chipped, broken or crooked teeth but also the lips, tongue and face that help redistribute forces from a blow to the head. The composition or material with which a mouthguard is design could range from soft plastic or sturdy acrylic.

Which Sports Require Mouthguard
As discussed above, mouthguard are only used for contact sports like Rugby, Hockey, Football, Netball and Basketball. These sports come with a higher risk of players and sports equipment colliding with the face.

Apart from contact sports, mouthguards can be vital for preventing injury associated with cricket ball, gymnastics, skateboarding, cycling and rollerblading. These all put children at risk of falls onto hard surfaces.

What Type of Mouthguard Is Right for Your Child?
An effective and ideal mouthguard should be one that is easy to clean, durable, tear resistant, odorless and tasteless. It should not limit breathing or create hindrance in the speech. Should stay in place without having to bite down.

The different types of mouthguard available are:

Stock Mouthguards
They are the most common type of mouthguard you will find. They are designed from Rubber or Polyvinyl. Since they are pre designed, they can’t be accommodated to fit in one’s mouth. The drawback associated with Stock mouthguards is their bulkiness. It offers the least comfort and protection since your child will need to bite down to hold it in place. This also creates difficulty in breathing and speaking.

Custom-fitted Mouthguards
As the name suggests, custom-fitted mouthguards are designed to individually fit into one’s mouth shape and size. They are designed with a special harder outer layer to protect your teeth and soft tissue. Custom made mouthguards are inexpensive and the procedure can also be performed only at the dental office.

Mouth Form Guards
There are two varieties, shell liner and boil-and-bite mouth guards. The former is made of acrylic gel or rubber that molds to the teeth. Boil-and-bite is made of a thermoplastic material which is placed in the mouth to shape around the teeth via finger and tongue pressure. It can be reheated every time when required.

If you are still not sure about which Mouthguard to get for your child, consult our dentists today. They keep your child’s teeth and mouth safe by reducing the risks associated in contact or any other kind of sports. Mouthguards go a long way to prevent mouth injuries. Therefore, it is always a good idea to get mouthguards for your child.

Book Appointment to find out which treatment might be best for you.