It only takes one hit for your teen's or child's mouth to be seriously injured during physical activity. A mouth guard is essential to protecting their young smiles, say our orthodontists at SmileTown Orthodontics Braces & Invisalign.
At SmileTown Orthodontics Braces & Invisalign, we encourage our patients to be physically active as much as possible - sports are a great way for your child or teen to burn off their youthful energy, get some exercise and stay healthy. If the athlete in your family is going out to the field, rink or court, we highly recommend that they use a mouth guard each time they lace up their shoes or skates.
In our office, it's fairly common to see patients with either fresh injuries or a story to tell about an inadvertent run-in with a ball, person or object while they were playing, running or heading for the end zone. While all injuries are unwanted and some are especially painful, injuries to the mouth can have serious long-term impacts on an individual's oral structures, and their oral health. That's why we suggest using preventive measures such as mouth guards to protect the jaw, teeth, facial structure and head from serious injury.
The mouth guard acts as a barrier between your child's or teen's mouth and any object they may come into contact with. They can also help if your child is experiencing severe teeth grinding, which can lead to wearing enamel off their teeth, pain in their teeth or jaw and headaches. In these cases, a mouth guard may help protect their teeth from the effects of grinding while they sleep or are under stress.
Mouth guards are custom-made to fit your child's mouth and provide the protection (and comfort) they require while engaging in physical activity and sports. They also protect the teeth from the negative effects of teeth grinding. While you can purchase a number of off-the-shelf mouth guards, your best bet would be to see your dentist and have your child or teen get fitted for a custom mouth guard.
Your child or teen should bring their mouth guard with them to every appointment, and check with their dentist that it still fits correctly as their oral structures continue to develop.