As we are smack dab in the middle of summer, it is important that we know that while we are having summer fun in the sun, our teeth can be affected if we aren’t careful. Not only by eating too many sweets and neglecting our dental hygiene routines, but through physical activities we indulge in during these warm summer months.
Patients who have a tooth knocked out can anticipate upwards of $20,000 worth of lifetime dental costs associated with just that one tooth. In addition to these expenses, the person can suffer through lost work time, emotional and psychological scars and pain. An easy way to prevent these accidents from happening is to use a mouthguard when playing physical sports. But which is best for your needs?
Boil and bite. “Boil and bite” mouth guards are not thick enough in the most vulnerable areas and do not provide optimum protection in the prevention of dental injuries and concussions. This is unfortunate because athletes and their parents purchase these items expecting a certain level of protection, despite their inexpensive advantage.
Custom-fitted. These guards can be somewhat more expensive, but they are made to fit very accurately to the mouth with minimal interference to speech, breathing and swallowing. These types of guards can be made to an ideal thickness in order to properly reduce or prevent dental injuries and concussions.
Performance. A third mouth guard is the so-called “performance mouth guard” utilize the repositioning of the bite to better align the athlete’s head, neck and spine for this increased strength.