Sports Mouthguards: Protecting Your Teeth, Your Braces, and Your Smile
An elbow during basketball, a ball to the face, or a fall from a skateboard can cause a serious mouth injury in an instant. A properly fitted sports mouthguard provides cushioning that helps protect the teeth, lips, cheeks, and tongue.
As an orthodontist, I consider mouthguards an important part of sports equipment—with or without braces. The right design depends on the athlete’s teeth, bite, appliances, and whether the teeth are still moving during treatment.
How a mouthguard protects
A mouthguard places a resilient layer over the teeth. During an impact, that material helps absorb and distribute force rather than allowing it to be concentrated on an individual tooth. It also creates a barrier between the teeth—or braces—and the surrounding soft tissues.
This cushioning helps reduce the risk and severity of chipped, broken, displaced, or knocked-out teeth. It also helps protect against cuts and other injuries inside the mouth.
A tooth injury can have consequences well beyond the day it happens. A small chip may be repairable, while more extensive damage can require urgent care and ongoing dental treatment. Protecting permanent teeth is especially important for young athletes who will need those teeth for decades.
Protecting the lips, cheeks, and tongue
Soft tissue protection is an important benefit that families sometimes overlook. During a collision, the lips and cheeks can be compressed against the teeth. A mouthguard cushions that contact and helps shield these tissues from injury.
With braces, protection becomes particularly important. Brackets and wires create additional surfaces that can cut the inside of the mouth when the lips or cheeks are pushed against them. An orthodontic mouthguard provides a barrier around the appliances. When braces are present on both the upper and lower teeth, protection for both arches may be appropriate.
Mouthguards are useful beyond football
Football and hockey are obvious examples, but mouth injuries also occur in basketball, soccer, baseball, martial arts, skateboarding, and other activities involving collisions, falls, or fast-moving objects.
The American Dental Association recommends properly fitted mouthguards for sports and recreational activities with a significant risk of dental or facial injury. That includes practice sessions, when the same opportunities for an unexpected impact exist.
A helmet or face shield may provide important protection, but a mouthguard adds cushioning inside the mouth.
During braces: room for appliances and moving teeth
During active orthodontic treatment, a mouthguard needs to accommodate two things: the brackets and wires, and the changing positions of the teeth.
For patients wearing braces, I can provide a premade orthodontic guard designed for upper and lower protection. Flexible, no-mold designs have channels that fit around the brackets rather than closely reproducing the position of each tooth.
This design provides cushioning and a barrier between the braces and the surrounding soft tissues while allowing room for tooth movement throughout treatment.
What about mouthguards sold online for braces?
Some over-the-counter mouthguards marketed for braces are designed to be molded and remolded. These can be an option, but as teeth move during treatment, the guard may need remolding to remain comfortable and fit properly.
Read and follow the manufacturer’s braces-specific instructions. A remoldable guard works differently from a flexible, no-mold orthodontic guard, which accommodates the brackets without being shaped closely around individual teeth.
After treatment: a custom-fitted guard
Once braces are off and tooth positions have stabilized, I can make a custom-fitted sports mouthguard shaped to the patient’s teeth.
Custom guards are fabricated using an individual record of the teeth, allowing their shape, coverage, and fit to be tailored to the wearer. A comfortable guard that stays securely in place is easier to wear consistently. The American Association of Orthodontists emphasizes the personalized fit of custom mouthguards.
A sports mouthguard does not replace a retainer. Retainers maintain tooth position; sports guards provide impact protection. Each has its own purpose.
A possible additional benefit
Patients are sometimes surprised to hear that mouthguards may also help reduce concussion risk. Their cushioning and support for the jaw have been studied for this potential benefit, although the research is not yet definitive.
Make protection a habit
Wear your mouthguard during practices as well as games. Clean it according to its instructions, allow it to dry, and store it in a ventilated case. Keep it away from excessive heat, and replace it when it becomes damaged or no longer fits properly.
The goal is comfortable, practical protection that an athlete will wear every time it is needed.
Choosing the right protection
At Suzanne M. Dennis Orthodontics in Charlottesville, we consider your sport, your bite, and your stage of treatment when recommending a mouthguard. Whether you need protection around braces or a custom-fitted guard after your teeth have stabilized, Dr. Dennis can help you find an appropriate fit. Ask us at your next appointment or contact our office to learn more.
