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Facial Protection from our Doctor
Why are Mouth Guards Important?
Properly designed and custom fabricated mouth guards are an important, but often overlooked aspect of preventive pediatric dentistry. Dental injuries are the most common type of orafacial injury sustained during sports participation. The National Youth Sports Foundation for the Prevention of Athletic Injuries, Inc. reports several interesting statistics:
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Victims of total tooth avulsions (knocked out teeth) may face lifetime dental costs of USD $10,000-USD $15,000 per tooth, hours in the dentist’s chair, and the possible development of other dental problems such as bone loss. |
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The American Dental Association estimates that mouth guards prevent approximately 200,000 injuries each year in high school and collegiate football alone. |
What will my Mouth Guard Look Like?
Unfortunately, mouth guards conjure up images of an uncomfortable piece of plastic purchased from a sporting goods store. That’s because these “Stock” or “Boil and Bite” types of mouth guards constitute 90% of all mouth guards being worn today. They are ineffective since then fit poorly, are too thin to offer protection and can make breathing and speaking difficult. Stock mouth guards that must be held in place by constantly biting down in limited sizes and are often altered by the wearer for a more comfortable fit, which further reduce the protective properties of the mouth guard. They also come in fun colors!
As pediatric dentists interested in injury prevention, we do not recommend this type of mouth guard to our patients. To be effective, a mouth guard has to be protective, comfortable, allow for easy speaking and breathing, have an excellent fit and sufficient thickness in critical areas. Here at Pittsburgh Orthodontic Clinic our doctor can create custom fitted mouth guards designed and fabricated to meet all of these criteria.
Common Questions about Mouth Guards
Custom fitted mouth guards allow us to address several important issues in fitting the mouth guard. For example:
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Does the mouth guard take into consideration missing, loose or erupting teeth? |
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What about orthodontic considerations? |
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Is there a history of dental trauma and areas that need additional protection? |
These are important questions the sporting goods store retailer and the boil & bite type of mouth guards do not address.
How do we make your Custom Fitted Mouth Guard?
We offer out patients the highest quality pediatric & orthodontic services and that quality translates into the care we take to create your custom fitted mouth guard. Using an impression taken by our doctor, our custom fitted mouth guards are made of a heated thermoplastic material that is adapted over a stone model with a special vacuum. The material is then trimmed and polished for an ideal fit. This technique allows for our doctor to control the size, thickness and form of the mouth guard for the patient.
Take the First Step Toward your Custom Fitted Mouth Guard!
When children learn to wear mouth guards at an early age they become an integral part of their sports regimen. Custom mouth guards can help children keep their teeth for a lifetime and are an important part of pediatric dentistry. We encourage you to visit our office to have one made for your child.
The first appointment takes around 30 minutes and the cost is less than a piece of sporting equipment. You may call our office to schedule.
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