Playing a contact sport increases your risk of needing broken tooth repair—or even a tooth replacement! If you play a contact sport, you’ll want to let our dentists know as soon as possible so they can make you a custom sports mouth guard.

A sports mouth guard protects your teeth from impact damage so you can maintain good oral health and avoid a trip to our emergency dentists. Let’s take a look at five facts about sports mouth guards and how they can protect your smile.

1. Sports Mouth Guards Protect Your Teeth

Every time you walk onto the football field or step into the boxing ring, you increase your risk for oral injury. If you play a contact sport, you’ll need to ask our dentists about getting a sports mouth guard

A mouth guard is an oral appliance that fits over your upper teeth. Unlike generic mouth guards you can get from the sporting goods store, a mouth guard made by our dentists offers a higher level of protection.

Our dentists will be able to create the best mouth guard for your smile and the sport you play. For example, a football mouth guard reduces your risk of needing emergency dental care the next time you’re tackled on the field. Likewise, a basketball mouth guard can protect your smile if another player shoots out their arm to collect a rebound and hits you in the mouth.

2. You Can Get a Sports Mouth Guard for Braces

Do you have braces on your teeth? Even if you are in the middle of orthodontic treatment, you will need a mouth guard to protect your teeth while playing contact sports. Our dentists will recommend an upper and lower mouth guard so your braces don’t snag on any soft tissue on impact.

After all the time it took to straighten your smile, the last thing you need is to knock out a tooth while playing football. Luckily, a mouth guard for your braces should protect your smile.

3. You Only Need a Mouth Guard for Your Top Teeth

We understand that you don’t want to wear a bulky oral appliance during your next game. Thankfully, our dentists can create a custom sports mouth guard for you so you can breathe easier and feel comfortable. Unless you have braces or another fixed orthodontic appliance, you’ll only need a sports mouth guard for your upper teeth.

4. Clean Your Mouth Guard

Is your mouth guard giving you bad breath? If you don’t clean your sports mouth guard after every practice and game, you could be allowing bacteria to flourish.

Bacteria and other microorganisms love to grow in dark, moist environments—like in your mouth guard. To clean your sports mouth guard, simply scrub it out with a toothbrush and rinse it under cold water. Make sure that you store your dental guard in a dry, ventilated container.

5. Replace Your Mouth Guard Every Six Months

Your sports mouth guard won’t last forever. For the best protection, our dentists recommend you replace your dental mouth guard every six months. Once your mouth guard starts showing signs of wear and tear, you’ll need to schedule an appointment with our dentists.

Stay in the Game While Protecting Your Smile

Our Grand Rapids, MI, preventive dentists are dedicated to helping patients maintain healthy smiles with sports mouth guards. To schedule an appointment, call GR Family Dental today at (616) 455-3020, or contact us online.

This blog post has been updated.