Sports mouthguards are a must-have for anyone who plays contact sports. Even if you participate in a no-contact sport, there is always a chance that an accident could happen. Protect your teeth, gums, and mouth with a customized sports mouthguard from Beachside Smiles in Manhattan Beach, CA.
What Happens If You Don’t Wear a Sports Mouthguard
Athletes want to play hard and give their all to the game, but this devotion is only advisable if you’ve fully protected yourself first. Uniforms, helmets, cleats, and more are all part of the athlete’s gym bag, but mouthguards should be part of the safety gear too.
Helmets have important work to do, but they aren’t enough to protect your teeth from a collision with another person, the ground, or a piece of sports equipment. If the sport you or your child plays doesn’t involve helmets, then teeth are in even greater danger. Sports mouthguards are an essential piece of protective gear and can help prevent:
- Knocked out teeth
- Dislodged teeth
- Chipped teeth
- Broken teeth
- Damaged braces
The Benefits of a Customized Sports Mouthguard
A blow to the mouth can result in serious damage to your oral health. Whether you’re hit by an elbow, ball, stick, head, helmet, or body, this direct impact can be incredibly destructive and painful. Protective sports mouthguards are designed for children, teens, and adults who stay active in sports but want to protect themselves from dental damage.
It is possible to buy an over-the-counter mouthguard, but bite-and-boil or preformed options are not carefully designed for your unique mouth. Because they are poorly fitted, the non-personalized guards do not offer full protection and could cause more damage in an accident. Your Manhattan Beach dentist constructs a mouthguard just for you and your mouth that delivers multiple benefits:
- Comfort: A personalized mouthguard fits your teeth just right, unlike over-the-counter mouthguards which are often ill-fitting, bulky, and uncomfortable.
- Complete protection: When a mouthguard is carefully fitted to your mouth, it not only protects your teeth but absorbs shock and limits movement for the ultimate coverage.
- Durability: A customized sports mouthguard is resistant to breaking and tears, perfect for dedicated athletes who need a mouthguard that can manage their strength and power.
Protective mouthguards are typically made for the upper teeth alone, and they come in different configurations. Depending on what kind of game the athlete plays, if it is a contact sport, and whether they wear braces, that will influence what type of guard is best.
Protect Your Entire Mouth from Damage
It’s natural to only think of protecting your teeth when it comes to playing an aggressive sport. Hockey players are known for the holes in their smiles from missing teeth after all, but there are other parts of your oral health that can suffer from collisions on the ice, field, court, or pitch.
The soft tissues of your mouth can experience major damage without a sports mouthguard. Tongue, cheeks, gums, and lips may bleed and suffer painful lacerations. Your bite can be negatively affected too. The pain from bite damage is one thing, but alignment can also be altered and the jaw can be knocked out of place. Any of these injuries will require significant time and resources to complete the necessary repairs, stop the pain, and leave you with a healthy mouth.
Get a Sports Mouthguard in Manhattan Beach
Whether you play pick-up games, intramural, or belong on an organized sports team, talk to your Manhattan Beach dentist at Beachside Smiles about getting a customized sports mouthguard. Every game is safer when you protect your teeth from potential damage. Contact us today to schedule an appointment.
