Mouthguards

Your child's teeth play an important role in their day-to-day life. They help with speaking, eating, and swallowing, not to mention how they help shape your child's face. Without healthy teeth, life would be difficult.

If your child is active—as many kids are—you want to make sure their teeth are protected. A ball to the jaw, a fall to the ground from a bike, or an accidental kick in the mouth—all of these can lead to damaged or missing teeth. Repairing this type of damage can be both time-consuming and expensive.

A custom mouthguard may be just the ticket to protect your child's teeth from injury during activities where their teeth could be in danger. At Dr. Beanca Children's Dentistry, we can create a mouthguard perfectly fitted to your child's mouth to wear any time they are participating in an activity where their mouth is vulnerable. Keep reading to learn more about how a mouthguard can keep your child's teeth safe.

Reasons for a Mouthguard

It can be difficult to convince a child to wear a mouthguard. After all, they can be uncomfortable, everyone else may not have one, and it may be hard to convince your child that it's necessary for the activity they're participating in.

There are reasons, however, why a mouthguard is absolutely a necessity. When talking with your child about getting a mouthguard, it may be helpful to discuss with them the types of injury a mouthguard can guard against. Mouthguards can prevent fractures, chips, and cracks in teeth. All of these can be costly to fix, not to mention that this kind of damage can affect a child's bite, speech, and self-esteem.

If a child takes a hard blow to the face without a mouthguard in place, it is possible that this will cause tooth displacement. This can cause a need for corrective treatment, such as orthodontics, to put the tooth (and any affected surrounding teeth) back in place.

Many athletes have lost a tooth while playing their sport without a mouthguard. A baseball, a hockey puck, a misplaced elbow—all of these can dislodge a tooth. Not only can this alter a person's appearance, but it is also a long process to replace that tooth.

While teeth are definitely vulnerable to injuries during a sports activity, the soft tissues around the teeth are also at risk for injury. Teeth may cut gums, the tongue, or the inside of the cheek. These types of injury can be painful and require follow-up care—and can be prevented with the use of a mouthguard.

Finally, mouthguards can limit the chances of damage to the jawbone. A jawbone injury can require surgery and many weeks of healing, not a pleasant experience for anyone. It's worth noting that while the types of injuries mentioned above may be ones you associate with contact sports such as football or baseball, injuries to teeth can happen in individual sports such as gymnastics and ice skating too.

Mouthguard Options

When you opt for a mouthguard for your child, you have several choices. You could go for a stock mouthguard that you can pick up anywhere sports equipment is sold. These are relatively inexpensive and come in several sizes, including those designed for youths. However, these stock mouthguards may not fit very well, and a mouthguard that is ill-fitting may not protect against injury very well. In addition, these mouthguards may be bulky and can affect both speaking and breathing.

Another option is to go with a boil-and-bite mouthguard. Like stock mouthguards, boil-and-bite mouthguards are not very expensive and can be purchased at drugstores or sporting goods stores. But while stock mouthguards are ready to wear, boil-and-bite mouthguards are first boiled to make soft and pliable, then fitted to teeth by biting on them. These mouthguards may not, however, conform to a child's mouth perfectly, rendering them not as protective as they could be, particularly not against a serious impact.

A custom mouthguard may cost more than either a stock or a boil-and-bite mouthguard, but since it is custom made for your child's teeth, it offers much more solid protection.

The Process of Getting a Custom Mouthguard

The process of getting a custom mouthguard made for your child is not a complicated one. First, your pediatric dentist will make an impression of your child's teeth. (Usually, an impression of only the top teeth is made.) This impression will then be sent to a lab, where the mouthguard will be created. The material—usually clear acrylic plastic—will be placed around that impression. The mouthguard is, therefore, a perfect fit for your child's mouth.

Once the mouthguard has been sent back to the dentist's office, you will be asked to schedule an appointment so that the dentist can make sure that the mouthguard is comfortable and fits your child's teeth without any gaps or movement.

This same process will take place if your pediatric dentist has suggested a mouthguard for another reason, such as your child grinding their teeth. Bruxism—or teeth-grinding—can severely damage teeth, and your child may not even be aware they are grinding their teeth. A mouthguard worn at night can prevent your child from causing problems that may later require expensive dental care.

Considering a Mouthguard for Your Child?

Whether your child plays sports or has another issue, such as bruxism, you may want to consider a custom mouthguard. An over-the-counter mouthguard may offer some protection for your child's teeth as they participate in sports, but they may not offer the exact fit of a custom mouthguard.

At Dr. Beanca Children's Dentistry, helping protect your child's teeth is a priority. Their teeth need to last a lifetime, and a custom mouthguard can be part of that plan. If you think a mouthguard is necessary for your child, we're ready to help. Call our office and explain that you'd like to see the pediatric dentist for your child to be fitted for a custom mouthguard. We'll take care of the rest.