EVEN BRAKES NEED MOUTH PROTECTION
Now that fighting season is underway, you have a lot to do between training, keeping your grades up, and making sure you're saving enough time to unwind from the stress of high school. But one thing that sometimes takes a back seat on everyone's mind is protection.
Wrestling or contact sports are not an easy sport. It is full contact and you could hurt yourself as with any contact sport. This is why wearing a mouth guard is so important. Keeps those pearly whites safe. But, if you have braces, can you really wear a mouth guard, too?
GET A MOUTH GUARD FOR ORTHOPEDIC DEVICES
The answer is yes! And it is essential to keep you free from lasting injuries. It will also save you a lot of time and potentially thousands of pounds at the dentist and doctor.
Wearing a mouth guard with braces doesn't just protect you. When you have braces, you could hurt them, so you'll be doing them a favor too.
WHAT KIND OF MOUTH PROTECTOR SHOULD YOU GET?
There are two options to choose from. You can get a custom made mouth guard from your dentist, however these run on the more expensive side of things. And, considering that they design braces to move your teeth, they won't last long as your smile changes shape.
The best option might be a boil and bite mouth guard. Generic mouth guards available on the market are of little use as they are not designed to be worn over braces. But the rubber boil and bite shields mold to the shape of your mouth, making them much more comfortable and offering better protection.
THE BENEFIT OF MOUTH GUARDS FOR BOILING AND BITE
Mouthguards cushion the face and reduce the risk of tooth breakage. Many studies have been done on the protection offered by mouth guards. They reduce the risk of minor traumatic brain injuries and concussions by absorbing the impact of direct blows to the jaw area. This protects not only the teeth, but also the lips, tongue, and the inner lining of the cheeks.
But when you have braces, protection is even more essential. They prevent damage to the brackets by acting as a barrier between the brackets, the cheeks and the lips, reducing the risk of injury and damage to the brackets.
While medically necessary braces are free for children under 18, for others they can cost up to thousands and thousands of pounds. Repairing such expensive equipment is not cheap. Buying a mouth guard is a small change compared to this, so it is worth the investment in the long run.
ALTERNATIVES
Some people find that boil and bite mouth guards do not fit well. But, if your sport requires mouth protection, it might be worth considering other ways to straighten your teeth.
For example, Invisalign braces are easy to clean, you can eat whatever you want, and they are removable. So when the big game rolls around, you can easily wear whatever mouth guard you want to make sure you're protected from injury. However, that last point is the key. Always make sure you have adequate protection.