Sports Guards
Prevent Injury While You Play
Other than football coaches and associations, few sports team or individual sports leaders demand that their players wearsports guards to practices and games.
Unfortunately, the practice of allowing people to play sports without mouthguards dramatically increases dental injuries among players. In one study, football players who wore sports guards had a very low incidence of dental injuries, but basketball players who did not had many times the number of dental injuries. For this reason alone, it makes sense to wear a sports guard when participating in sports.
Open Days
Who Can Use Sports Guards?
Anyone who participates in a competitive or leisure sport can benefit from wearing a sports guard. Although mouthguards are more commonly used when playing football, you can protect your teeth better if you wear them in contact and even noncontact sports. If there is a risk of dental injury, a sports guard can minimize that risk. Participating in the following sports and leisure activities is safer when you wear a sports guard.
- Football
- Hockey
- Basketball
- Soccer
- Gymnastics
- Skateboarding
- Mountain cycling
- And more!
Your Sports Guard Fitting
Our Toronto dentist can custom-fit your sports guard quickly, usually in two visits to our dental office. On the first visit, our dentist will discuss with you the types of sports and recreational activities you participate in. The dentist examines your mouth and teeth. Next, the dentist makes an impression of your mouth and sends this along with other data to the lab so the mouth guard can be custom-made for you.
On the second visit, the dentist gives you the mouth guard to place in your mouth. After checking the sports guard for fit, the dentist can make adjustments so it fits even better. You do your part by wearing the sports guard whenever you have a risk of sports injuries.
How to Wear Sports Guards
Before you start playing your sport or doing your leisure activity, place the sports guard in your mouth. If you wear any removable dental appliances such as removable bridges, removable braces or partial dentures, take them out before you insert the mouth guard. If you have any fixed dental work, the sports guard protects it. When the game or activity is over, simply remove the sports guard, rinse it and store it in its container.
Advantages of Custom-Fitted Sports Guards
You can buy sports guards online or in local sporting goods stores. These guards are typically either premade without any possibility of adjustment or “boil and bite” guards you fit yourself. Neither of these types of sports guards provide very much protection. In addition to solving this problem, custom-fitted sports guards have a number of advantages over these off-the-shelf sports guards.
- Precise fit
- Comfortable
- Easy to breathe and talk
- Stays tightly in mouth
- More durable
- Less pain
- Fewer dental complications
