Protect Your Braces, Protect Yourself: Why You Need A Custom Mouthguard

Regardless of what sport you play, injuries to the mouth and face happen. Direct impact from elbows, fists, pucks, sticks or any hard hit that slams your upper and lower jaw together, may have scary results:

• Approximately 5 million teeth are knocked out annually during sports and recreational activities.
• You have a 33-56% chance of receiving an orofacial injury — an injury to the mouth or face –during your playing career.
• Broken bones heal. ACLs are repairable. A broken tooth lasts forever.
• The lifetime cost to replace just one tooth — with maintenance, appointments, and surgeries — is approximately $20,000.

And that’s just in general! What about athletes who wear braces?

Athletes with braces face a dramatically increased risk of gum and soft tissue injuries, as well as risk of more serious injury than an athlete without braces. Simply stated, a hit will hurt more because the metal brackets and wires create additional hard surfaces inside the mouth. With braces, any forceful hit or sudden impact can cause these metal components to press into or rub against the inside of the mouth, leading to cuts, abrasions and swelling.

A blow to the mouth, face or jaw with braces can also cause potential injuries, and even damage to both the braces and oral tissues:

• Soft tissue injuries: braces can pierce, scratch or cut the gums, cheeks, lips and tongue on impact, leading to bleeding, soreness or even infection.
• Tooth pain: since braces put pressure on teeth and their supporting ligaments, a hit can intensify discomfort as the teeth are already slightly loose and sensitive from orthodontic movement.
• Orthodontic emergency: the impact can bend or break brackets and wires, which can poke and exacerbate injuries inside the mouth, as well as delay orthodontic progress.

Of course, that doesn’t even account for the additional costs of repairs and extra office visits!

That’s why both the American Dental Association (ADA) and the Academy for Sports Dentistry (ASD) recommend a professionally made, properly fitted custom mouthguard for all contact and collision sports. For athletes who have braces, a specialized orthodontic mouthguard is recommended.

Custom mouthguards are designed to match the exact structure of each player’s individual mouth — making for the most intimate and comfortable fitting mouthguard possible. It’s the only way to ensure that your mouthguard is in place when contact occurs.
A true custom mouthguard is engineered for each specific athlete, their specific needs and their specific sport. That includes their braces.

Only Gladiator Custom Mouthguard offers highly specialized custom mouthguards for braces, that meet the needs of every sport and all athletes. With our specialized Ortho-Channel design, only a Gladiator can provide protection without inhibiting orthodontic treatment or alignment.

Protect your braces, protect yourself from unwanted injuries, damage and delayed treatment. Only a Gladiator custom mouthguard provides the protection you and your braces need. Learn more at the link below.

Protect Your Braces, Protect Yourself

Author Bio

Bobbie Quinn, co-founder of Gladiator Custom Mouthguards, played both lacrosse and field hockey as a youth and went on to play Division 1 women’s lacrosse in college. Bobbie continues to play women’s league field hockey and enjoys watching her son play various sports.