Why is mouthguard fitting so important?

With many sports such as basketball, gymnastics, hockey, and football, there’s a risk of injury to your teeth and gums. If you or your children play sport, we recommend using a custom-made mouth protector, known as a mouthguard.

Unlike shop-bought mouth guards, a professionally fitted mouthguard will protect your entire mouth as it cushions any blows or falls by distributing the force of the impact. We suggest avoiding non-customized mouth guards as they are generally ill-fitting and offer little protection.

Only a dentist can custom-fit a mouth guard to your teeth. Professionally fitted mouth guards can also help prevent concussions and some incidents of unconsciousness. Jaw fractures and neck injuries can also be reduced because the mouthguard prevents complications arising from the lower jaw jamming into the upper jaw.

A mouth guard also reduces the risk of bruising the cheeks and lips, especially if you wear braces. A properly fitted mouthguard can prevent damage to the brackets of your braces. Although mouthguards typically only cover the upper teeth, we may suggest you use one on the lower teeth, if you have braces on these teeth too.