Mouthguards
At Princeton Dental, custom sports mouthguards are designed to protect your teeth, gums, and jaw from injury during athletic activity. Whether you wear braces, clear aligners, or have natural teeth, protecting your smile while playing sports is essential to preventing dental trauma.
Sports-related dental injuries are common and often preventable. As part of our comprehensive preventive dental care, we offer custom-made mouthguards that provide superior comfort, fit, and protection compared to over-the-counter options.
Why Mouthguards Are Important
Mouthguards help cushion blows to the face, reducing the risk of broken teeth, soft tissue injuries, jaw fractures, and damage to dental restorations. Even non-contact or limited-contact sports can pose a risk of accidental collisions or falls.
The American Dental Association recommends wearing a mouthguard during any full-contact sport and many recreational activities. A properly fitted mouthguard can help prevent injuries that may otherwise require extensive treatment such as tooth extractions, crowns, or implant restoration.
Who Should Wear a Mouthguard?
Mouthguards are recommended for athletes of all ages who participate in sports where contact, falls, or flying objects may occur. This includes children, teens, and adults involved in organized sports, school athletics, or recreational leagues.
Mouthguards are especially important for:
- Children and teens playing contact sports
- Athletes wearing braces or orthodontic appliances
- Patients undergoing orthodontic treatment with clear aligners or Invisalign
- Individuals with crowns, bridges, or other restorations
- Anyone with a history of dental trauma
Types of Mouthguards
There are three basic types of mouthguards available. Understanding the differences can help you choose the level of protection that best suits your needs.
Pre-Made Mouthguards
Pre-made mouthguards are available at sporting goods stores and come in standard sizes. While they are inexpensive and readily available, they offer the least protection because they are not customized to your mouth.
These mouthguards often feel bulky, may interfere with breathing or speaking, and can shift during play, reducing their effectiveness.
Boil-and-Bite Mouthguards
Boil-and-bite mouthguards are softened in hot water and then molded to the teeth by biting into them. While they offer a better fit than pre-made options, the fit is still limited and may not provide consistent protection.
Improper molding or repeated reshaping can reduce durability and comfort over time.
Custom-Made Mouthguards
Custom-made mouthguards are fabricated by your dentist using impressions or digital scans of your teeth. This process allows for a precise fit that contours comfortably to your bite.
Custom mouthguards offer the highest level of protection, durability, and comfort. They are designed to stay securely in place, allow normal breathing and speaking, and provide consistent coverage during activity.
Benefits of a Custom Dental Mouthguard
Custom mouthguards provide advantages that over-the-counter options simply cannot match:
- Superior fit and comfort
- Improved protection against dental trauma
- Less interference with breathing and speaking
- Durable materials designed for long-term use
- Customized to accommodate braces or aligners
Because custom mouthguards fit securely, athletes are more likely to wear them consistently, which is essential for effective protection.
Mouthguards vs. Nightguards
Sports mouthguards are designed specifically to protect against impact injuries during athletic activity. They differ from nightguards, which are worn during sleep to protect against teeth grinding or clenching.
Using the correct type of appliance for your needs is important. A nightguard should not be worn during sports, and a sports mouthguard is not designed for nighttime grinding protection.
How Custom Mouthguards Are Made
The process for receiving a custom mouthguard begins with an evaluation and impression or digital scan of your teeth. This information is used to create a mouthguard that fits precisely and comfortably.
Once fabricated, the mouthguard is checked for fit and function. Your dentist will provide instructions on proper use, cleaning, and storage to help maintain its effectiveness.
Caring for Your Mouthguard
Proper care helps extend the life of your mouthguard. After each use, it should be rinsed and cleaned with a gentle cleanser. Mouthguards should be stored in a ventilated case and kept away from heat.
Routine dental visits allow us to assess the condition of your mouthguard and recommend replacement if wear or changes in your bite occur.
Mouthguards as Part of Preventive Dentistry
Custom mouthguards are an important part of preventive dental care, helping reduce the risk of emergencies and complex restorative treatment. When combined with routine exams and cleanings, mouthguards help protect both natural teeth and existing dental work.
Patients with questions about sports protection or dental trauma prevention can also explore helpful information on our Dental FAQs page.
Schedule a Mouthguard Appointment
If you or your child participate in sports and need reliable dental protection, scheduling a mouthguard appointment is the best first step. New patients can learn more about their first visit by visiting our For New Patients page, and patients without insurance can explore options on our Don’t Have Insurance? page.
To schedule an appointment or learn more about custom sports mouthguards, please contact our office. Our team is happy to help protect your smile—on and off the field.