Is It Your Turn Yet?

Is It Your Turn Yet?

November 2008

"Mouth Guards Like the Pros Wear"

Have you watched MBA basketball lately?

The players are sporting a new kind of mouth guard as evidence shows when they take them out during the game. For those of you who are not dental geeks, you may not have noticed, but as I have watched the games, I thought of it as fantastic that they have begun wearing these fuller, nearly invisible mouth guards.

Did you hear me say invisible? These mouth guards share another function. This is the same material as invisible braces which are a hard thin plastic that is molded at the dentist office. For invisible braces, these molded appliances slowly, but surely, move teeth when worn to a specific prescription.

For basketball (or wrestling) mouth guards, a simple impression is taken at the dental office and a clear appliance is made on a special machine. I have been encouraging my own kids as well as kids in orthodontic retainers made of the same material, to wear them in basketball or wrestling.

Our problem with basketball and wrestling is that a mouth guard is not required by the Maine Principal’s Association. Basketball is the #1 sport that I see, having the most trauma to the teeth. The reason is that all the other contact sports require a sports mouth guard.

Are these as good as the football or field hockey mouth guards? Probably not, but they are far better than nothing, are very easy to wear and have no restrictions on breathing or speaking.

How much do they cost? It will vary from dentist to dentist, based on how comfortable and efficient the dentist is in making them. You can call to ask if the dentist does this and what the cost is. Considering the cost of a fractured tooth that may require more expensive treatment such as a root canal, a mouth guard can be inexpensive insurance and can be worn without resistance.

So wear the mouth guards like the pros do and protect those great smiles!

This is the first day of the rest of your life.

Article written by: Dr. Daniel L. Steinke