As you straighten your smile with braces or aligners it's extra important to protect your teeth against the damage that could be caused by a blow to the face while playing sports. Our orthodontists in the Greater Vancouver area explain why a sports mouthguard is an essential piece of equipment every time you play sports.
Sports Guards
If you play sports, a sports mouthguard (sports guard) is absolutely essential for helping to protect your orthodontic appliance, the inside of your mouth and your developing straighter smile! In fact, our orthodontists believe that whether you wear braces or not, a sports guard is always a good idea when playing contact sports.
Additional Risk of Injury For People with Braces
Sports guards are a piece of protective equipment that are extra important for people undergoing orthodontic treatment with braces or aligners.
Braces can prove to be an additional hazard if you are hit in the mouth while playing sports. If you aren't wearing a mouthguard and receive a blow to the mouth, the likelihood of damage to your braces increases, as does the risk of injury to the soft tissues of your mouth caused by the hard edges of your brackets.
Not only that, because teeth become loose as your braces or aligners shift them into their corrected positions, your teeth can be more easily knocked out due to an impact!
A sports mouthguard can help to keep your teeth where they should be, protect the inside of your mouth from being cut, and prevent the need for an emergency orthodontist appointment to repair damage to your braces.
Types of Sports Mouthguards
Inexpensive store bought mouthguards readily available, but when it comes to protecting your teeth and mouth a custom made sports guard from your dentist is your best bet (especially if you have braces!). Custom-made sports guards are moulded to fit your unique smile, and provide the best possible protection for your braces and your teeth.