Sport Bite Guard

Sport Bite Guard

Do you or your children play sports? If so, you should consider using a sport bite guard while playing. Even in non-contact sports, a sport guard will protect your teeth, lips, tongue, and cheeks from injury. At Hale Family Dental, we can design custom sport guards to perfectly fit and protect the athlete in your family.

What are the benefits?

Sport guards can be used for contact sports like hockey, football, or lacrosse, as well as non-contact sports, such as basketball, gymnastics, skateboarding, weightlifting, soccer, skiing and many others. Mouth guards should be worn during sports because they:

  • Protect teeth from being broken or knocked out

  • Reduce risk of concussion by protecting the jaw

  • Protect the lips, tongue, and cheeks from injury

  • Create a barrier between orthodontic appliances and the cheeks and lips

  • Prevent damage to orthodontic appliances

Types of sport bite guards

There are three main types of sport guards available to athletes:

  • Stock sport guards. These are easily found at sporting goods stores and drugstores, and they are the least expensive kind. However, because they only come in stock sizes, they typically don’t fit well, don’t last long, and make it difficult to breathe or speak.

  • Boil-and-bite mouth guard. This mouth guard is heated in boiling water until the material softens. When cool, the wearer will bite into the material, creating a mold of their teeth. While this option fits better than stock mouth guards, they can become worn down quickly and provide minimal protection.

  • Custom sport guard. These are professionally made in a dental lab using impressions of your mouth, so they are made from high quality materials to fit your teeth perfectly and they don’t hinder speech or breathing. They will also last for several years. Their only downfall is the cost, which is higher than ones you can buy from a store.

The advantages of using a custom sport guard are far greater than any store-bought mouth guard. Call or stop by our office if you are interested in designing your own custom sport guard!