A sports guard is a plastic dental appliance that is worn over teeth to protect the teeth and mouth from injuries sustained to the head and face. A high quality properly fitted sports mouthguard absorbs the shock of impacts. If you are struck in the mouth or jaw, the sports mouthguard helps to redistribute the force of that impact. A mouthguard also provides a barrier between your teeth and the soft tissue in and around your mouth. Many studies have shown that mouthguards help prevent chipped or broken teeth, fractures, and knockout, and protect against cuts to lips, gums, and other soft tissue in the mouth area.
Anyone who participates in a contact sport that involves bodily contact, falls, or flying equipment, should consider a sports guard. Although dental injuries are commonly associated with contact sports such as football, rugby, hockey, and boxing, other dental and mouth injuries may also occur as a result of accidental contact with people or objects during other athletic activities, including skateboarding, basketball, soccer, squash, gymnastics, and Taekwondo. In essence, all sports activities contain some element of risk that could result in a dental injury. The most common sports-related dental injuries include broken teeth, knocked-out teeth, injured cheeks or tongue, and even broken jaws.
A properly fitted sports mouthguard is an important equipment investment, especially when considering the cost of the potential dental work required to repair damaged teeth. For people who have to wear braces or other fixed orthodontic appliances, it is especially important to have a sports mouthguard that fits properly. An impact to the mouth can damage the brackets and wires of the braces, and can also cause added cuts and tears to the soft tissue inside your mouth.