What are Mouth Guards?
Mouth guards are one of the most underused orthodontics across the nation. They are also one of the most important. There is nothing more frustrating than paying thousands of dollars to make sure that a child has perfectly straight teeth, only to have all of that effort destroyed by an errant hockey puck. As a result, a preferred Invisalign provider Fredericksburg suggests investing and using a sports mouth guard.
How Does a Sports Mouth Guard Work?
A sports mouth guard is fitted over a child's top teeth. This will allow any traumatic mouth injuries to be displaced over the entire mouth, allowing their shock to be safely absorbed, rather than the smile to be injured both functionally and aesthetically. A mouth guard is also able to minimize the effect of force on the jaw, preventing fractures and sprains to the jaw, as well as the base of the skull. A blow to the base of the skull could result in damage to the central nervous system.
Other smaller injuries can also be mitigated by the use of a sports mouth guard. These include tongue lesions, tooth fractures, injury to the gums and other soft tissue, cheek lesions, concussions, and lip lesions. When these very common injuries are able to be avoided, the sports that often cause them become much safer.
How Do I Choose the Best Mouth Guard
There are a few different factors to consider when a parent is choosing a mouth guard for his or her child. The first factor that needs to be taken into consideration is the amount of money that is able to be spent on a mouth guard. Most guards that can be purchased in stores will be less than ten dollars and will be able to fit any budget. Another factor to look at is how often the mouth guard will be needed. If it is going to be worn on a regular basis, then a more durable, higher quality guard might be in order.
What are the Different Types of Mouth Guards?
The first type of mouth guard is the stock mouth guard. These are the guards that can be purchased from a store and immediately fit to the child's mouth. They tend to be one-size-fits-all. Their main advantages are that they are simple to use, easy to clean, and very cheap. However, it can make it difficult for a child to speak and provides the least amount of protection since they will often not work very well. This type of guard is not highly recommended by Orthodontists in Fredericksburg VA.
The second type of mouth guard is the boil and bite mouth guard. This type of guard consists of a thermoplastic material that needs to be placed in hot water in order to make them easy to mold. Then the material will be placed into a child's teeth, creating a custom mold. There are a slightly more expensive and require more work, but they can be purchased at a sporting goods store and will be easy for a child to wear and still speak.
The last type of mouth guard is customized mouth guard, which is made by an orthodontic specialist like Beecroft Orthodontics. These are the most expensive, but will provide the greatest level of protection. If you require any further assistance then contact Beecroft Orthodontics right away.
Beecroft Orthodontics, 10472 Georgetown Dr. Fredericksburg, Virginia
Phone: 540-898-2200
Sports Mouth Guards- Protect your investment