What Athletic Mouthguards Should You Choose
Wednesday, April 8th, 2009
All athletic mouthguards are not created equal
Spring is here and that usually means more activities and an increase in trauma to the orofacial areas. Properly fitted mouthguards have been shown to provide protection against injuries and trauma to the mouth and teeth. Furthermore, the use of custom-fabricated mouthguards decreases the likelihood of a concussion as well.
It seems more often than not it a parent asking me about what they should do to protect children’s teeth when they are involved with contact sports. By the way, soccer, basketball and baseball are all contact sports. It is interesting that only a few amateur sports such as football, boxing, ice hockey, men’s lacrosse, and women’s field hockey require the use of an athletic mouthguard. So, the sports that have the highest incidence of tooth loss are basketball (ask Cole Aldrich) and baseball.
Anyway, back to the question at hand. Should my child wear a mouthguard when playing soccer, basketball, etc.? The answer is yes. Sometimes the mouthguard to recommend needs special consideration. Young athletes may be in fixed orthodontics or do not yet have all of their adult teeth in place. We have to allow for tooth eruption and growth. So, sometimes this can be a bit challenging or require that the mouthguards only be worn for one season.
Basically there are three categories of mouthguards. They include:
- Type I (stock)
- Type II (mouth-formed)
- Type III (custom-fabricated)
Type I mouthguards are the least expensive of the three and offer the least protection. These mouthguards can be purchased at sporting good stores, removed from the package and worn without any fitting. They are the most cumbersome and least comfortable.
Type II mouthguards are commonly known as the “boil and bite” mouthguards. These are also store bought and are the most popular. The guard is boiled in water and some attempts are made to fit them.
Type III mouthguards are custom-made from impressions of the mouth. These are considered the best when compared with the others. They are more protective because of the close adaptation they have with the athlete’s teeth and oral anatomy. Due to the custom fit they are more comfortable, and easier to speak with it in your mouth, therefore the compliance goes up compared to type I and II.
Mouthguards can be designed for the type of sport being played. For adults I almost always recommend a type III, custom – fabricated mouthguard for a multitude of reasons. For children it varies dependent on where they are at in their growth, the sport, how often they will need replacing and what they will actually wear.
