Mouthgaurds

The American Dental Association has reported that faceguards and mouth guards prevent more than 200,000 orofacial injuries in football alone this year. The National Youth Sports Foundation for Safety reports that dental injuries are the most common orofacial injury sustained during participation in sports. Surprisingly, non-contact sports have twice the number of dental injuries as contact sports because mouthguards are generally thought to be unnecessary.
As parents, it is your obligation to make sure your child is properly protected from oral trauma in sports by having your pediatric dentist fabricate a form-fitting mouthguard.

There are several types of mouthguards:

1. Stock: These are available over-the-counter at sporting goods stores. Just open the package and place the mouthguard directly into the mouth. This type is held in place by constant biting pressure, and otherwise has no retention. Because on impact it can easily dislodge, this mouthguard is considered to offer the least amount of protection. Speaking is also difficult with this type of mouthguard.
2. Boil and Bite: This type is the most commonly used today. This mouthguard is also purchased over-the-counter at sporting goods stores, or made in the locker room by coaches. To fabricate the mouthguard correctly, the athlete is asked to bite down during the forming process while the material is soft and pliable. The boil and bite mouthguards have a dramatic decrease in thickness (70%-99%) during forming, thus providing the athlete with a false sense of protection.
3. The multi-laminated heat/pressure mouthguard fabricated by our laboratories is the treatment of choice for the ultimate in orofacial athletic protection. This mouthguard offers an appropriate thickness and therefore will deliver the safest and most appropriate protection for the athlete. When an impact happens, shock absorption will occur and there will be an equal distribution and transfer of the impact forces throughout the mouthguard, thereby minimizing the chance for concussion and other serious injuries.