Athletic mouthguards might be one of the most important pieces of equipment that is missing from most sports. A mouthguard doesn’t just protect your teeth from being broken, they can help prevent cuts to the lips and cushion the jaw to help prevent head injuries. 

A Mouthguard Can Prevent Dental Injuries

Dental injuries that happen during contact sports come in all shapes and sizes. Most types of dental injuries can be prevented by wearing an athletic mouthguard anytime you are taking part in your chosen sport, this includes practices and training.

The different types of dental injuries:

• Fracture. This is when part of the tooth is cracked or broken off. The course of action to take here is to have the injured person bite down on a towel to help stop the bleeding and take them to an emergency dental appointment as quickly as possible. If the other part of the tooth is located, it should be taken to the appointment too.
• Avulsion. This is when the tooth, including the root, is knocked out of the mouth. In this case, the injured party should try and rest the tooth back into the socket but do not force it back in. 
• Luxation. There are two types of luxation. An extruded tooth will appear longer than the teeth around it. A lateral displacement occurs when a tooth is pushed back or has been pulled forward.

Should any type of injury occur to the teeth, it is best to seek treatment straight away, ideally within two hours of the injury occurring. Please, do not attempt to fix these yourself. Our staff in Boise, Idaho, are professionals who can fix these issues without causing further complications. Dental injuries in sport can happen during any time but are most common during activities where people make physical contact with each other.

The most common sports where injuries happen are:

• Hockey (ice, field and roller)
• Basketball
• Football
• Boxing
• Shot putting
• Gymnastics
• Martial Arts
• Skateboarding
• Acrobatics
• Rugby
• Skiing
• Lacrosse 
• Racquetball
• Skydiving
• Wrestling

Athletic Mouthguards in Boise, Idaho

If you take part in any of these sports, you should consider investing in an athletic mouthguard. Our staff at Prevention Dental can talk you through the different options that are available. A custom made athletic mouthguard can be created using an imprint of your mouth for a snug and secure fit. Normally these are fitted to the upper teeth and extend to the back of the mouth to cover your molars and part of your gum.

A mouthguard should feel comfortable and not restrict your breathing. If it does feel uncomfortable in any way, our team is on hand to help. If your mouth feels uncomfortable after wearing a guard, it can be a sign that the mouthguard is not a good fit and it may need to be adjusted. This is a common issue with stock fit or boil and bite guards which is why we recommend speaking to our staff about having a custom guard created especially for you. Contact us today to get started!