The Autumn term at secondary school brings the arrival of contact sports such as hockey, rugby and squash amongst others. To ensure your child has the best level of protection against contact, make sure they have a custom orthodontic mouthguard. Here is why mouthguards made by an orthodontist are significantly more effective than those bought over-the-counter.
Orthodontic mouthguards are an exact fit for the teeth
Orthodontic mouthguards are created to match the exact shape and structure of your child’s dental anatomy. Unlike ‘boil and bite’ mouthguards that you shape yourself in hot water at home, orthodontic mouthgaurds are created from taking impressions of your child’s teeth – these give your orthodontist here at Cliftonville, an exact framework with which to work when creating your child’s mouthguard. Here at our Northampton practice, we are able to offer patients digital impressions which are a much less invasive option than traditional alginate impressions which are still used by many practices across the UK.
Orthodontic mouthguards and the comfort factor
Even if your child is not undergoing braces treatment, its important that your child’s mouthguard stays in a secure position, close up against the upper teeth, without the need for them to bite or clench down to keep it in place. If a mouthguard doesn’t offer an optimum fit, there are no guarantee that it is going to be in place when any impact occurs. Shop bought ‘boil and bite’ mouthguards are notorious for inducing a gag reflex and this is mainly down to the fact that they become increasingly ill-fitting as time goes on. The gag reflex also makes it difficult to communicate during team sports – with an orthodontic mouthguard, your child can build better relationships on the hockey or rugby pitch and focus on the sport rather than the idea of being uncomfortable.
How exactly do custom mouthguards protect the teeth?
As custom mouthguards are a perfect fit for the teeth, there is no space between the guard and the teeth as there is with a ‘boil and bite’ mouthguard. This lack of space renders any impact less severe.
If you would like further advice about protecting your child’s teeth against impact caused during contact sports, please book a consultation with our expert team here in Northampton.