Sports injuries involving the teeth, mouth, and jaw account for over 600 000 emergency room visits yearly. You can protect that smile with a custom sports mouthguard, made especially for you by Crown Dental Group.
Sport is a great way to keep your body fit, healthy, and strong. However, there can be drawbacks to playing a contact or ball sport. Many athletes suffer injuries arising from hard impacts to the face. Those impacts might come from another player or a ball and can be immensely damaging to the teeth and jaw. These injuries have become so prevalent in recent years. The Australian Dental Association has been working in collaboration with Sports Medicine Australia. They aim to ensure that mouthguards are considered a compulsory part of equipment for contact sports. Such sports are wrestling, boxing, and martial arts. It also includes ball sports like football, lacrosse, and netball. While there are a variety of sports mouthguards available on the market, your best bet for safety and comfort is a custom-made sports mouthguard.
Why Is Playing Sport Without a Mouthguard Dangerous?
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that contact sports such as boxing or karate have the potential to cause injury, especially to the face and mouth. What is less common knowledge, however, is the fact that there are risks involved in many non-contact sports. Fast-paced action sports featuring multiple players and hard, solid sports balls have the potential to cause major injury. Player-on-player collisions or an unexpected ball to the face are just some of the possible risks involved. Indeed, it is estimated that athletes are 60 times more likely to suffer an injury if they are not wearing a mouthguard. While there are obvious injuries that can be suffered, such as chipping, breaking, or even losing teeth, there are other risks involved in not wearing a mouthguard. Custom sports mouthguards can help to prevent concussions, jaw breaks, and even neck damage.
Why Should I Get a Custom Sports Mouthguard?
There are several different options for sports mouthguards. However, the option most likely to protect your smile and keep your teeth safe is a custom sports mouthguard. The process for making these custom sports mouthguards is simple and painless. We take an impression of your teeth before using that impression to create a mould of your mouth. Once we have that mould, we can then use it to cast your very own custom mouthguard fitted exactly to your teeth. It will provide a level of protection that is unmatched by other commercial mass-produced options.
The Drawbacks of Commercial Sports Mouthguards
As an athlete, you have no doubt seen generic, mass-produced mouthguards at your local sporting goods store. You may even have tried one yourself. If you’ve experienced these stock mouthguards, then you know how difficult it is to breathe and communicate while wearing one. It is absolutely a hindrance to any athlete! Additionally, because these stock mouthguards are mass-produced to generic sizes and one standard shape, they do not account for the specificities of your unique smile.
A slightly better option, but one that still leaves much to be desired, is a ‘boil and bite’ mouthguard. These can be moulded over your top teeth after having been softened in water. As such, they are more customisable than stock mouthguards. However, these mouthguards are often flimsy and have short lifespans. They are also incompatible with dental hardware such as braces or other orthodontia.
Essentially, the only real benefit to buying an over-the-counter mouthguard as opposed to a custom-made one is the cost. While mass-produced sports mouthguards may be more cost-effective than a custom option, the important thing to remember is that orthodontic or jaw surgery doesn’t come cheap. If you skimp on your safety equipment, you could find yourself paying far more in medical costs in the future.
How Can We Help?
At Crown Dental Group, we are passionate about protecting our clients, which is why we offer a custom mouthguard service. You can expect a mouthguard fitted for you, offering a high level of protection and compatibility with any orthodontia you may have. It will also allow you to breathe, drink water, and communicate easily with your teammates. The benefits are clear – custom sports mouthguards are critical for any athlete. Give us a call today to start the process of getting your very own custom sports mouthguard.
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