Protecting Your Child's Teeth With Mouth Guards
Mouth guards, also known as sports guards or athletic mouth protectors, are crucial pieces of equipment for any child participating in potentially injurious recreational or sporting activities. Fitting snugly over the upper teeth, mouth guards protect the entire oral region from traumatic injury, preserving both the esthetic appearance and the health of the smile. In addition, mouth guards are sometimes used to prevent tooth damage in children who grind (brux) their teeth at night.
The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) in particular, advocates for the use of dental mouth guards during any sporting or recreational activity. Most store-bought mouth guards cost fewer than ten dollars, making them a perfect investment for every parent.
Why Use a Mouth Guard?
Sports
The purpose of a sports guard is to act as a shock absorber in the mouth to protect the teeth from excessive forces. The mouth guard also protects your head and brain from concussion if the blow is onto the lower jaw.
Teeth Grinding
Teeth grinding and clenching often occur at night, while patients are sleeping; therefore, many patients don't seek diagnosis. Common symptoms of teeth grinding include waking up with a headache, the feeling of tenderness or pain in the jaw, or unexplained damage to teeth. In addition, your partner may complain of clicking or chattering noises that you make when you sleep.
Grinding and clenching during sleep can generate forces in excess of 200 pounds, and over time, can lead to damage of the tooth enamel and other oral health problems. If untreated, teeth grinding can result in permanent tooth and oral damage that require surgery or other expensive treatments. While reducing stress or home remedies may be effective treatments for minor cases of teeth grinding, most patients who suffer from habitual teeth grinding require a custom mouth guard to prevent serious, long term damage.
How Can Mouth Guards Protect My Child?
The majority of sporting organizations now require participants to routinely wear mouth guards. Though mouth guards are primarily designed to protect the teeth, they can also vastly reduce the degree of force transmitted from a trauma impact point (jaw) to the central nervous system (base of the brain). In this way, mouth guards help minimize the risk of traumatic brain injury, which is especially important for younger children.
Mouth Guards Also Reduce the Prevalence of the Following Injuries:
- Cheek lesions
- Concussions
- Gum and soft tissue injuries
- Jawbone fractures
- Lip lesions
- Neck injuries
- Tongue lesions
- Tooth fractures
What Type of Mouth Guard Should I Purchase for My Child?
Though there are literally thousands of mouth guard brands, most brands fall into three major categories: stock mouth guards, boil and bite mouth guards, and customized mouth guards.
Some Points to Consider When Choosing a Mouth Guard Include:
- How much money is available to spend?
- How often does the child play sports?
- What kind of sport does the child play? (Basketball and baseball tend to cause the most oral injuries).
In light of these points, here is an overview of the advantages and disadvantages of each type of mouth guard:
Stock mouth guards
These mouth guards can be bought directly off the shelf and immediately fitted into the child’s mouth. The fit is universal (one-size-fits-all), meaning that that the mouth guard doesn’t adjust. Stock mouth guards are very cheap, easy to fit, and quick to locate at sporting goods stores. Pediatric dentists favor this type of mouth guard least, as it provides minimal protection, obstructs proper breathing and speaking, and tends to be uncomfortable.
Boil and bite mouth guards
These mouth guards are usually made from thermoplastic and are easily located at most sporting goods stores. First, the thermoplastic must be immersed in hot water to make it pliable, and then it must be pressed on the child’s teeth to create a custom mold. Boil and bite mouth guards are slightly more expensive than stock mouth guards, but tend to offer more protection, feel more comfortable in the mouth, and allow for easy speech production and breathing.
Customized mouth guards
These mouth guards offer the greatest degree of protection, and are custom-made by the dentist. First, the dentist makes an impression of the child’s teeth using special material, and then the mouth guard is constructed over the mold. Customized mouth guards are more expensive and take longer to fit, but are more comfortable, orthodontically correct, and fully approved by the dentist in Stony Plain, AB.
Please note: that there is a significant difference between a sports mouth guard, and a dental night guard or grinding appliance. The dental night guards are made of much harder plastic and fit only over the chewing edges of the teeth.
