Mouth-guards are an essential way of protecting your mouth from injury; they can help save damage to your teeth from grinding, but they are probably more notable for preventing injury in sports. If you especially play sports that involve contact, you are going to take a whack or two to the mouth and head, which means getting a good mouth-guard is imperative. You could go along to a sports shop and buy the basic models off the shelf; one will be standard, another you can get is put into hot water and mould to your teeth whilst it is still soft. However, if you are very keen about your games and want to continue playing in the future, you should have one specially made up that will not only protect your teeth and gums, but will also absorb bangs and knocks. By doing so, you will be preventing damage to your mouth, your jaws, your head and your neck. This is an important decision to make so get some advice on this in Chepstow; Clifton Dental serves the town and so you should get in touch with them over in Bristol for more information- that’s if you want to carry-on playing the sport you love and avoid paying heavily for treatments to repair any damage that arises.
People like to let of steam in many different ways after a long weeks work and for many in Bristol, sport is the best option. Now whatever it is you love to get involved with, in some cases it can become quite physical, so you will need to take the necessary precautions to protect yourself, and especially your teeth too. You can get a mouth-guard of the shelf; you can also get a better one that you can heat in water and then mould around your teeth at home, but if you are deadly serious about the sport you play, then if it involves contact, you would be wise to have a chat with your dentist and get a guard that will be measured precisely to your mouth and will be able to absorb any impact that occurs in your mouth whilst performing. This can not only reduce the damage done to your teeth and gums, but will reduce the possibility of further damage to your jaws, your head and neck, and in your upper back. Clifton Dental can tell you all about protecting your mouth and can point you in the right direction in order for you to protect your mouth as best you can if you are dead keen on putting yourself in danger after work with the sports that you love.
With nearly half the teeth lost to dental trauma each year happening as the result of sporting injury, it is important that we do all we can to protect our teeth when playing sport. One of the easiest ways to do this is to wear a mouth guard fitted by a Chepstow dentist.
Physical sports such as rugby and boxing or any sport involving a fast moving ball can pose a threat to your teeth. Just one ill-timed tackle or unlucky deflection and you could be looking at one or more lost teeth that will be the source of great pain, embarrassment and financial cost. Knocked out teeth, if they cannot be replaced immediately, can require enormous amounts of costly and unpleasant dental work to restore. This could involve replacing the missing teeth with dental implants of dental bridges, both of which while effective are also pretty expensive.
Having a mouth guard will add a dimension of protection to your teeth as it spreads the impact across the mouth meaning individual teeth are less likely to be lost. Mouth guards are usually made of rubber which also cushions and absorbs some of the impact. While it is possible to buy mouth guards in sporting good shops, these are often generic and will not fit your teeth well. This limits the amount of protection they are able to offer. A Chepstow will be able to design and manufacture a mouth guard that will fit your specific teeth. Using dental moulds and x-rays, your dentist can make the mouth guard very accurate and comfortable and make any adjustments that are required. This may cost slightly more than a ready-made mouth guard from a sport shop, but the extra protection you will be giving your teeth could just be priceless.
For children, it is important to remember that their mouth guard will need to be changed more often to accommodate for their developing teeth and jaw. Ask your dentist for more details.
When playing a physical sport or a sport that involves fast moving balls, it is important to afford your body the maximum protection. This involves covering or padding any areas that could be vulnerable. One of the most vulnerable areas of your body when playing sport is your teeth. Over half the cases of knocked out teeth seen by dentists occur as the result of a sporting injury of some description.
It may be possible in some case to replace the tooth immediately but if not you will be looking at costly and painful dental treatment to restore the appearance of your teeth. This may involve a dental implant, dental bridge or partial denture. These will need regular dental care and even replacing at various points in your life. But there is a way to give your teeth an extra degree of protection when playing sport that could prevent lost teeth.
A mouth guard from a Weston-super-Mare dentist will cover the teeth and spread the load of any impact, thus protecting the individual teeth and preventing damage. Although mouth guards are available form most sport shops, these are generally quite ill-fitting and offer only minimal protection. A mouth guard from a dentist will be specifically designed to fit your teeth. This means it will be snug fit and offer more protection to your teeth. The fitting process is very simple and quick and when compared to the cost of dental restoration treatment, is really very cheap.
Dentists can also make mouth guards for children but it is important to have these changed regularly as developing teeth change very quickly.
For anyone who has experienced the pain of a knocked out, cracked or chipped tooth from an injury sustained while playing sport, they can tell you just how painful it is. More importantly they can tell you how long and difficult the dental repair work is for such injuries. Dental injuries like these can cause severe long-term damage to the teeth and dental health in general. Often overlooked is the psychological damage losing teeth can have, especially on a younger person. The stigma of wearing a partial denture in your early twenties is something you probably want to do without. It is also important to remember that many of the dental treatments you will require will be very costly.
For people who regular play dangerous contact sports such as rugby, high impact sports such as skiing or anything involving a hard ball such as cricket, it is recommended by dentists that to prevent dental trauma you wear a mouth guard. A well-fitted mouth guard could protect you from the kind of dental injury mentioned above that could have a long-lasting unpleasant effect on your life. It may sound like over caution but over half the dental trauma seen by dentists involves some kind of sporting activity. It really does happen a lot and a few pounds spent on a mouth guard now could save you thousands in the future. We all know that a mouth guard isn’t exactly the coolest apparatus in the world but it’s probably cooler than having to wear false teeth in your late teens.
It is possible to buy mouth guards in sporting goods shops but these mass-produced guards do not offer an effective level of protection. An ill-fitting mouth guard is only slightly more useful than not wearing one at all. A Bristol dentist will be able to fit a mouth guard in a small half hour appointment that will offer you the necessary level of protection. The dentist will either take a mould or digital x-ray of your teeth and use the 3D projection to construct a perfectly fitted guard. For younger patients it is important to have your mouth guard refitted every six months because developing teeth change very rapidly.
Do not underestimate how important a decision wearing a mouth guard could be for your teeth. It might be the best one you’ll ever make and by wearing one, hopefully you’ll never find out.
Dr Gerrard is a Bristol based Cosmetic dentist with many years of experience and is one of only a small number of dentists accredited by The British Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry
Mouth-guards are an essential way of protecting your mouth from injury; they can help save damage to your teeth from grinding, but they are probably more notable for preventing injury in sports. If you especially play sports that involve contact, you are going to take a whack or two to the mouth and head, which means getting a good mouth-guard is imperative. You could go along to a sports shop and buy the basic models off the shelf; one will be standard, another you can get is put into hot water and mould to your teeth whilst it is still soft. However, if you are very keen about your games and want to continue playing in the future, you should have one specially made up that will not only protect your teeth and gums, but will also absorb bangs and knocks. By doing so, you will be preventing damage to your mouth, your jaws, your head and your neck. This is an important decision to make so get some advice on this in Chepstow; Clifton Dental serves the town and so you should get in touch with them over in Bristol for more information- that’s if you want to carry-on playing the sport you love and avoid paying heavily for treatments to repair any damage that arises.
