MOUTHGUARDS

Sporting accidents during contact sports are one of the most common causes of damaged or dislodged teeth, broken jaws and cut lips.

A correctly fitted mouthguard will avoid or minimise the risk of injury to teeth and jaws from  knocks to the face by absorbing and spreading the impact of a blow to the face.

Fractured jaws heal within 6 weeks or so. Fractured or knocked out teeth  never heal and the injury will stay with the person for the rest of their lives.  

Dental injuries may result in time off school or work to recover, can be painful and disfiguring, and may involve lengthy and expensive dental treatment.
Damaged teeth may have to be restored a number of times throughout life. The US National Youth Sports Foundation calculates the lifetime cost of restoring a knocked out tooth to be up to $15,000. 

The cost of an injury to your teeth or jaw far exceeds the cost of a custom-fitted mouthguard.  

Mouthguards should be worn whilst playing and training for any sport that could involve contact to the face. It is essential to wear a mouthguard while playing football and other sports where there is a chance of being hit in the jaw or head. These sports include hockey, netball, baseball, basketball and even skateboarding and skiing.

Over-the-counter (boil and bite) mouthguards
Over-the-counter (boil and bite) provide inadequate protection, fit poorly, are not stable and studies show they offer poor protection to injury.

Custom-fitted mouthguards

Custom-fitted mouthguards at Bondi Junction Dental are made after we have accurately assessed your mouth to provide you with the mouthguard that is most appropriate for your sport. Professional footballers and boxers will need a different mouthguard to that required by 10 year old footballer.

Custom-fitted mouthguards provide a better fit than other varieties.
We take impression of your mouth and create a plaster model of your teeth. Your mouthguard, depending on your sport and needs, will be made by vacuum forming single or multiple layers of special mouthguard material over your models.  Heavy duty mouthguards may involve both jaws and have stiffeners embedded between multiple layers of mouthgurad materials for additional protection.  Custom fitting allows us to make a mouthgurad to suit your individual needs.

A custom-fitted mouthguard is:

• Comfortable
• Tight-fitting
• Allows you to speak clearly
• Provides maximum resistance against being dislodged
• Won’t restrict breathing

How do I care for my mouthguard?

• Rinse in cold water after use
• Store in a rigid plastic container
• Keep out of direct sunlight – mouthguards will distort in high temperatures
• Occasionally rinse your mouthguard in a mouthwash
• Have your mouthguard assessed by your dentist at your regular check up
• Replace your mouthguard if it gets damaged