Mouth guards

Teeth are an important part of your body. Healthy teeth are linked to healthy mouths and bodies. Children who play contact sports such as football, rugby, martial arts or hockey, as well as children who do play non-contact sports such as basketball, soccer or cricket are at risk of damaging their teeth if they do not wear a mouth guard. The head, elbows or knees are just as likely to cause trauma to the teeth in so called “ non-contact sports”.

A mouth guard is a protective device for the mouth that covers the teeth and gums to prevent and reduce injury to the teeth, arches, lips and gums. In many sports, the rules of the sport make their use compulsory, or local health laws demand them. Schools also often have rules requiring their use.

Studies in various high risk populations for dental injuries report low compliance of use during activities. Moreover, even with regular use, effectiveness in prevention on dental trauma is not complete, and injuries can still occur even when mouth guards are used. This can be due to an ill fitted mouth guard. There are many generic types of mouth guards which can be found in the chemist. They are not as effective as mouth guards made in the dental clinic.

How we make mouth guards at Verve Dental (Dentist Bentleigh East)

Mouth guards we make at Verve Dental (dentist in Bentleigh East) are very different to the generic mouth guards found at the chemist or sport equipment retailers. When we make our guards we first take an impression or mould of your teeth. Then from this mould the mouth guard is made to fit the teeth perfectly. Each individual will get their own custom made mouth guard for proper fit and maximum comfort.

Wear your mouth guard even at training

Just as many accidents happen during sports training sessions as they do at the games. So it’s always important to wear a mouth guard when training to avoid accidents. Wearing the mouth guard at trainings allows your kids to acclimatise to the feel of a mouth guard so during games they are comfortable with their mouth guard.

So why wait until an accident occurs before getting a mouth guard for your child. Prevention is always best.

Dr Kamal Raj (Dentist Bentleigh East)

#mouthguards #protectteeth #sport