Protect your teeth from injury
Mouth Guard
Mouth guards are protective coverings worn over your teeth to protect them from injury during teeth grinding or clenching when you sleep, and during sports. A mouth guard should be customised to prevent tooth damage.
When would I need Night Guard?
It is important to wear a professionally made mouth guard whenever you play sport that involves physical contact or moving objects. This includes: cricket, hockey and football – which can cause broken and damaged teeth. A mouth guard will help protect against these happening.
It is also needed or advised for persons who frequently grind their teeth at night.
What are the uses of Mouth Guard?
A. Night guard or mouth guards for teeth grinding
Many individuals are unaware that they grind or clench their teeth at night, but a lot of damage can occur. Symptoms associated with teeth grinding include headaches, ear aches, facial and neck muscle pain, and jaw joint pain.
Night guard provide protection against teeth grinding (bruxism) & clenching during sleep. They help to reduce enamel damage, jaw joint inflammation, and irritation to gums.
The night guard fits over either the upper or the lower teeth, creating a cushion between them and absorbing the impact of grinding or clenching.
B. Mouth guards for sports & athletes
Accidents can happen during any physical activity. Mouth guards for sports primarily act as a shock absorber. It ultimately helps absorb shock experienced by the face, thereby reducing risk of teeth injuries such as a chipped tooth, tooth loss, soft tissue injury, and in severe cases, jaw injuries. They can protect children’s and adult’s teeth and jaw joints from trauma that can be sustained while playing contact and collision sports, such as football, hockey, basketball, mma, and boxing. Even those participating in non-contact sports, like gymnastics or recreational activities that carry a risk of contact with the face.
What are the types of Mouth Guards?
There are many types of mouth guards. Some are pre-formed, while others are customized to fit your teeth and jaw.
The preformed stock mouth guards or boil and bite mouth guards that you find at the pharmacies and shops, while being affordable, offer little protection and comfort for the wearer.
Custom fitted mouth guards are constructed and fitted to the shape of your mouth by a dentist after taking mould of your teeth and associated areas. These mouth guards have been proven to reduce the number and severity of mouth injuries in sport and during training.
The benefits of custom fitted mouth guards include;
• Fit snugly and be comfortable.
• Allow normal breathing and swallowing.
• Allow the wearer to speak.
• Be odourless and tasteless.
• Be thick enough (3-5mm) to provide protection against impact.
• Provide the most superior protection for your teeth.
At life care dental clinic mysore, we provide custom-made mouth guards and night guards for adults and children. It typically takes two appointments to receive a sports guard or night guard. During the initial visit, our specialist makes an impression of the teeth, together with a bite record. These will be used to create a customised guard in the lab that allows for proper teeth alignment. During the second appointment, mouth guard will be given to the patient.
Having a professional custom-made mouth guard and night guard ensures proper fit and alignment to the shape of your mouth and teeth, giving you and your kids the best protection at rest and at play!
FAQ's on Mouth Guard
Note that mouth guards do not last forever, as regular use will wear them down. If you wear one, you may need to replace it after few years depending on use.