Broken teeth can lead to various oral health complications such as painful infections and tooth decay. This is why it is extremely important to wear a mouthguard in situations such as contact sports which have a risk of trauma to the jawbone and teeth. Mouth guards are physical protective layers that you can wear over your teeth and can be provided by your dentist or purchased over-the-counter. While being quite simple in design, they can protect your teeth, gums, and even lips from a strong impact.
Apart from working as a protective layer to prevent dental trauma, mouth guards in Sherwood Park are used for various other functions. This article covers the benefits of wearing mouth guards or mouth protectors for their protective functions – or their function as a bodyguard for your teeth!
Types of Mouth Guards
Before getting into the benefits of wearing mouth guards, let us have a quick look at the different types of mouth guards available.
– Readymade mouth guards
This is perhaps the most common type of mouth guard near you. They come in several different shapes and sizes. While their fit is not perfect, they can be used successfully for short periods.
– Boil and bite
This type is more advanced with a much better fit. The material it is made of (thermoplastic) can change its shape when the heat is applied, which allows the wearer to make an instant custom fit. Traditional boil and bite mouth guards use boiling water to help them become flexible, but there are more evolved versions of this mouth guard type made with special polymers that allow molding at lower temperatures.
-Custom-made mouth guards
Just as the name suggests, this type is custom-made for each person by taking an accurate impression of their mouth. A special dental impression kit is used for this purpose and some manufacturers are specialists that carry out the production of these mouth guards. Nowadays 3D Imaging technology is widely used for better impressions and a precise and perfect fit for custom-made mouth guards.
Benefits of Mouth Guards
– Prevents external damage
The biggest benefit of wearing a mouth guard is being protected from external impacts. This could be a deliberate blow from a contact sport, or an unexpected accident during a sport like ice hockey or skiing. Wearing a mouth guard with a good fit does not intrude on the sport or the activity in any way but helps drastically reduce damage if the face or the jawbone comes in contact with a strong impact.
– Perfect fit
With new technologies such as 3D imaging, it is possible to achieve a perfect fit with custom-made mouth guards. This has increased comfort when wearing them, and also the efficacy in a situation that requires the protection of a mouth guard.
– Easy maintenance
Even though mouth guards are advanced protective devices, they do not require special maintenance or cleaning processes. They can be simply cleaned with some warm soapy water after wearing them. (It is important not to use hot water for cleaning purposes since it can negatively affect the fit of the mouth guard).
– Durability
Once you get a custom-made mouth guard through a well-reputed dentist near you who uses a good manufacturer, the durability of these devices is very high. Just like any other protective equipment, your mouth guard should be checked by a professional from time to time to assess its fit, but depending on your usage and maintenance, it is likely to last a very long time.