Mouthguards are very important for any person who plays sports, even more so for those who wear braces.
If you are currently wearing braces, you have most likely already made serval changes to your lifestyle to accommodate for your treatment such as your diet and brushing and flossing routine.
Although, if you play sports you will need to make other accommodations, to help protect your oral health.
We usually recommend people with braces to limit their level of sports participation to lessen the impact sports could have during their treatment if they can. This reduces any risk of injury or damage to the braces. However, we do understand that this solution isn't ideal for everyone.
If you decide to play any high-impact sports during your orthodontic treatment, you will need to wear a sports mouthguard that can help keep your braces, jaws, gums, and teeth from getting damaged.
Despite this fact, you would need a mouthguard for playing any impact sports whether you have braces or not, but the presence of braces in your mouth adds additional risks.
For one thing, braces are made of small pieces of metal, this can mean you’re at a greater risk for lacerations and injuries to the soft tissue of your mouth if you get hit in the head or face. In addition, damaged braces are expensive to repair, and damage can also result in treatment setbacks.
Finally, it’s important to realize that as your teeth move into their new positions during orthodontic treatment, they become slightly loosened; they’re not as securely set in your jaw as they normally would be. This means that if you experience an impact on your head or face, you are at an increased risk of having a tooth knocked out.
Wearing a mouthguard helps protect your mouth, teeth, and other facial structures, and minimizes your risk of injury.
What kind of sports mouthguard should you get?
You can get relatively inexpensive stock or boil and bite mouth guards at almost any sporting goods store, but unfortunately, when it comes to mouthguards, you get what you pay for.
While they may be more expensive, custom-made mouthguards provide better protection. A custom mouthguard is made based on molds taken of your teeth and therefore provides the best fit, comfort, and protection.