Custom mouthguards are a good option for those looking to protect their teeth. They are custom made to fit your mouth to ensure maximum protection from all forms of contact.
A well-fitted, custom made mouthguard can protect your teeth and jaw by limiting the impact from contact and reducing the risk of damage to your teeth. Without one, sportspeople run the risk of damaging, chipping, breaking, or even knocking out their teeth, which can be a painful and costly problem to fix.
Protect your jaw and teeth while you play sports.
Game faces need protection. Nearly 40% of dental injuries are sports-related, yet many players skip a mouthguard. Book your custom mouthguard early so it’s ready before the season starts.
What is a custom mouthguard?
A custom mouth guard is a thick piece of plastic that sits snugly around your teeth, protecting them from damage.
There are mouthguards that you can buy ‘off the shelf’ at pharmacies and sports stores. However, these are not made specifically for your teeth and are, therefore, usually not a very good fit. While they will offer more protection than nothing, they are not the gold standard when it comes to mouthguards.
Similarly, boil-and-bite mouthguards are available to buy over the counter. For these, you would boil the pre-made mouthguard in water to soften the plastic, then bite into it. This is a step up from one-size-fits-all mouthguards, but is not as fitted or protective as custom mouthguards.
The gold standard in mouthguards are custom made by a dentist or dental professional.
These are made by taking impressions of your teeth and gums, and having the mouthguard made to your exact mouth. This means every tooth will sit close against the mouth guard, leaving no room for it to move.
Sports mouthguards are most often used for contact sports, such as rugby or hockey. Players can (and do) receive knocks to the face that can easily damage teeth, which is why custom mouthguards are an essential piece of safety gear.
The advantages of a custom-fitted mouthguard
Custom mouthguards are extremely useful for keeping your teeth and gums in good condition when playing contact sports.
- Minimises and avoids damage: Custom-made mouthguards are the gold standard in minimising and avoiding damage from sports-related injuries, as their tight fit ensures teeth have a good layer of protection and that they can’t move during an impact.
- Comfortable wear: When a mouthguard is made specifically for your mouth, it is more comfortable to wear, and makes it easier to breathe than a non-custom mouthguard.
- Avoids costly, painful repairs: From chipped and broken teeth to knocked out teeth that require emergency dental treatment, a custom mouthguard can help to avoid the pain and trauma as well as the cost of getting these issues fixed.
How does a dental mouthguard work?
During your mouthguard appointment, your dentist will take impressions of your teeth. To do this, you will bite down into a soft clay-like material, and hold this pose for a minute or two. The dentist will remove the new impression and send it away to a lab.
It will usually take a week or two for the lab to create a custom-made mouthguard for your teeth. They will work with instructions from your dentist, which could mean adding a hard insert for very high-impact sports.
Once the mouthguard is ready, you will return to your dentist to pick it up and ensure it fits well. If you wear it often for regular sports, you may be advised to replace it once per year, but it’s important to bring your mouthguard to future dental check-ups so your dentist can check and ensure its strength and integrity.
What to expect from your custom mouthguard appointment
Getting a custom mouthguard is one of the quickest and easiest dental appointments you’ll ever go to. Here’s what to expect:
- Brush and floss before your appointment
- Your dentist will take impressions of your teeth with a special clay
- They will remove the clay impressions and your appointment is finished
- You’ll be in and out within 20 minutes
- It will take a week or two for the lab to create your custom mouthguard
- You will return to your dentist to pick up the mouthguard and ensure it fits well
If you need a custom mouthguard to play sports, get in touch with our friendly team to schedule an appointment.
Frequently asked questions
A mouthguard in sports is designed to minimise and potentially completely avoid any damage to your teeth and gums. Many sports with high levels of physical contact, such as rugby and hockey, require players to wear mouthguards in order to protect teeth.
A good mouthguard will do this by adding a thick layer of protective plastic around your teeth, so even if you have a collision with another player, get tackled, or have some other physical clash, your teeth have a layer of plastic around them to absorb some of the shock, much like a helmet does for your head.
This minimises the risk of chipped and cracked teeth as well as broken and knocked out teeth.
Yes - and it's actually even more important that they do. Children with braces are at higher risk of oral injury during sport, as a knock to the mouth can push wires and brackets into the soft tissue of the lips and cheeks.
A custom-fitted mouthguard can be made to accommodate orthodontic appliances, providing a comfortable and secure fit. Because children's teeth are moving during orthodontic treatment, your dentist will advise when to have the fit reviewed. As a general guide, it's worth having a growing child's mouthguard checked at each dental visit.
For adults, a custom mouthguard can typically last one to two years, provided it is well cared for and there are no significant changes to your teeth. It's a good idea to bring your mouthguard to each dental check-up so your dentist can assess the fit and condition.
For children and teenagers, more frequent replacement is recommended, ideally each season or every six months because growing mouths change quickly. A mouthguard that no longer fits correctly offers less protection and should be replaced promptly.
Dental injuries can happen just as easily at training as they can during a match. Contact, collision, and accidental impact don't only occur in competition. Many sporting organisations in Australia now encourage mouthguard use at all sessions, not just game day.
If your sport involves any physical contact or risk of a knock to the face, wearing your mouthguard consistently, including at training is the sensible approach.