Sports mouthguards
For anyone playing a contact sport, from kids' hockey to an adult martial arts class.
A sports mouthguard is a guard moulded to your own teeth and worn over the upper jaw during play. It spreads the force of a hit across all the teeth instead of one front tooth taking it alone.
Any of these sound familiar?
- Your child has started hockey, football, rugby or basketball for the season.
- The boil-and-bite guard from the sports shop is loose, bulky or chewed through.
- You have crowns, veneers or a bridge on the front teeth and cannot afford to break them.
- Your child is in braces and the coach wants a guard that fits over the brackets.
- You box, wrestle or do martial arts and take contact to the face every week.
Start to finish.
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01
A quick check
Dr. Malik looks at the front teeth, the bite and any braces or crowns before a mould is taken. If a tooth is loose or decayed, that gets sorted first so the guard fits something solid.
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02
Impression of your teeth
We take an impression of the upper teeth, and the lower ones if your bite calls for it. It takes a few minutes, there is nothing to numb, and you pick the colour.
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03
Made at the lab
The guard is pressed over a model of your teeth in a tough thermoplastic, in the thickness your sport calls for. Hockey and boxing get a heavier guard than basketball.
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04
Trying it in
You come back to fit it. It should stay put with your mouth open and let you talk and breathe, and Dr. Malik trims and adjusts it until it does.
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05
Looking after it
Rinse it after every game, keep it in a vented case and out of a hot car. Bring it to your check-ups; children outgrow guards as new teeth arrive, so most need a new one every season or two.
What it costs, and who pays.
A custom guard is two short visits, usually a week or two apart. Some dental plans cover a mouthguard, often for children or once every few years, and plenty of plans do not cover one at all. We check yours before it is made.
Ask for a written estimateSports mouthguards, answered.
Is a custom mouthguard better than a boil-and-bite one?
A shop guard is better than nothing, but it stays in by clenching, so it loosens, shifts and ends up spat out on the bench. A custom guard is moulded to your teeth, stays put while you talk, and is made in the thickness your sport needs.
Can my child wear a mouthguard with braces?
Yes, and it matters more with braces, because a hit can cut the lip open on the brackets. The guard is made with room for the brackets and for the teeth still moving.
Do I need a guard on the bottom teeth as well?
Usually not. An upper guard covers most sports; a lower one is added when you wear a lower appliance or your bite calls for it.
How long does a sports mouthguard last?
An adult guard often lasts a few seasons if it is rinsed and stored properly. Children go through them faster, because new teeth keep coming in and changing the fit.
