Why a custom guard beats a shop one
A boil-and-bite guard from a sports shop is better than nothing, but only just. It is moulded to a rough average of a mouth, so it tends to be bulky, work loose, and get spat out or left in the kit bag. A custom guard is made from an exact model of your own teeth, so it is thinner where it can be, stays put when you need it, and lets you breathe and talk. A guard that fits is a guard that actually gets worn.
Fit also means better protection. A precise guard spreads the force of a knock across all the teeth rather than one unlucky spot, which is what cushions a tooth from being chipped or knocked out. Anyone who plays a contact or ball sport benefits, and it is well worth it for active teens; our braces for teens page has more on looking after a teenage smile. The one-off cost of a custom guard is small next to the price, and the pain, of a knocked-out tooth.
Protecting teeth and braces during sport
If you or your child wears braces, a mouthguard stops being optional. A knock to the mouth can drive the lips and cheeks into the brackets, and a guard made for orthodontic patients has the room to sit comfortably over braces and protect both the teeth and the appliances. An ordinary guard moulded to bare teeth will not fit over braces properly, and can even work against your treatment.
The everyday care is simple, much like the rest of life in braces; our life with braces guide covers cleaning and comfort. Rinse the guard after use, keep it in a ventilated case, and bring it along to appointments so we can check the fit as your teeth move. Because braces gradually shift your teeth, a guard made early in treatment may need remaking partway through, and we will keep an eye on that for you.
Made and fitted at Embrace Orthodontics
Getting a custom guard is quick and painless. We take a digital scan or a simple impression of your teeth and have a guard made to match, in a fit a shop guard cannot come close to. If you are already a patient, we can sort one alongside your regular visits to our Spring Garden Road office in the South End of Halifax.
Whether or not you wear braces, protecting a smile during sport is one of the easiest things you will ever do for it. Ask Dr. Catherine McLeod about a custom mouthguard, and keep the teeth you have worked hard to straighten safe on the field, the court and the ice. It is a quick appointment that can save a lifetime of dental work.