Mouth Guards

It is an exciting time in Irish sports with the Rugby World Cup starting tonight and the GAA All-Ireland Senior Championship final this weekend. Just like professional athletes, your family deserves the best protection while playing contact sports.  As the school and college term kicks off, there is no better time to invest in protective mouth guards.

Contact sports are a great way to stay active. At the same time, they put our teeth and jaw at risk of contact injury. As dentists, we frequently see dental injuries such as fractured teeth, teeth pushed up into the socket, knocked out teeth and occasionally broken or dislocated jaws.

 How can I protect my teeth?

Protecting your teeth against dental injury starts with a custom sports guard. Unlike store-bought “boil and bite” guards, custom sports gum shields protect your teeth, gums and surrounding bone. Store-bought guards are more bulky, lack retention, interfere with speech, breathing and need frequent replacement. By contrast, custom sports guards are bespoke to your mouth, with the thickness tailored to the level of impact of the sport for shock absorption, optimum retention and are long-lasting. Research has shown that store-bought guards are also twice as likely to lead to mild traumatic brain injuries or concussion than custom guards (Academy of General Dentistry, 2014).

Where can I get a custom sports guard?

Your dentist can create a custom gum shield for you. They will take impressions (moulds) of your mouth, and will send these to a laboratory for fabrication of the guard. Your dentist will discuss the type of guard suitable to the sports you play and customize your guard appropriately. They can also add team colours!

Replacement of a sports guard is recommended each year for a growing child, as their jaw and teeth arrangement will change. As adults, replacement is needed when the guard is showing signs of wear. Bring your sports guard to your dental check-up so that your dentist can assess whether it is giving you maximum protection.