Is a Mouthguard Strong Enough To Protect Your Teeth?

One of the consequences of playing sports is the risk of ending up with damaged or broken teeth. Kids and teenagers are more prone to this situation as they love moving, playing around, and exploring things. So even if you take extreme care in protecting your teeth, there will always be benefits of wearing or having a dental accessory.

Mouthguards are dental appliances meant to fit your upper teeth and protect them from breaking or chipping due to impacts on your head, face, or mouth. They also protect your mouth from teeth, for example, accidentally biting your tongue or the case of cracked lips.

So if you wear braces or have dental restoration, your dentist will advise you to use a specialized mouthguard which will also protect your lower teeth. A study conducted by National Youth Sports Safety Foundation reported that athletes without mouth guards are 60 times more likely to damage their teeth.

This is because of the physical impacts caused by sports activities. However, many people, especially children, do not wear mouth guards.

Types of Mouthguards

There are three different types of mouthguards at our dental office in Tampa. They include:

The ready-made mouth guards. This is a common type of mouthguard, which is practical and fits a smaller budget. It comes in small, medium, and large sizes. You can choose any of the dimensions, but the chosen one will not be customized. So you might end up buying more than one unit.

The second type of mouthguard is boil and bite. These can be customized according to your mouth size. They must be heated by boiling them. After that, you can bite on the mouth guard, which can be reshaped back to its size. They may be bulky in some way, but this is because of the customization factor. The boil and bite mouth guards are a little bit pricier than the ready-made mouth guards.

The last type of mouthguard is manufactured by a professional lab technician or made by a dentist. It offers comfort and protection levels. These are the best mouth guards for people with braces or dental problems. Although the price of these mouthguards varies depending on the condition of your teeth, expect it to put a slight dent in your budget.

How Long Do Mouth Guards Last?

The lifespan of mouthguards varies depending on the following factors:

• The quality and the type of guard that you have
• The maintenance of the mouthguard by the individual
• How severe the grinding is

Night guards help with bruxism and can last between six months to three years. They take away the pressure caused by the grinding of your teeth. This will lead to wear and tear eventually.

However, there are high-quality night guards which last longer as compared to generic one-size-fits-all guards. Visit an emergency dentist in Tampa if you grind your teeth or need a mouthguard in Tampa, FL.

How to Fit Your Mouthguard Properly?

Below are the steps recommended by our dentist near you on wearing your mouthguard correctly.

1. First, you need a mouth guard, a mirror, bowl, water, clock or watch, a saucepan, and a slotted spoon.
2. Fill the saucepan with 3 or 4 inches of water and let it boil.
3. Remove the water from the source of heat and let it stand for at most 30 seconds. Then, place the mouth guard in water for about 12 seconds. If it is a strapped mouthguard, you should attach the tether before placing it in water.
4. Carefully remove the mouth guard from hot water using a slotted spoon
5. Lick both of your lips before placing the mouthguards on your mouth.
6. Use your mirror to watch how you carefully line up your upper teeth and place your mouthguard.
7. Bite down firmly on the mouthguard and push your tongue against the roof of your mouth. Next, suck the mouth guard strongly and use fingers to press the mouth guards against your gums.
8. Remove the mouthguard and cool it in cold water for 30 seconds. Then, replace it in your mouth and test if the fit is accurate.
9. Lastly, always replace your mouthguards whenever they wear out. For mouthguards and other dental services, call Dental Arts dentistry in Westbay today.