Custom made dental mouthguards are shock absorbing plastic guards created specifically for each individual and worn to protect teeth from permanent dental injuries. They are essential in most team sports nowadays to protect against dental injuries.

A good mouthguard works to help absorb the shock caused by a blow or heavy collision to the face, jaw and teeth, which prevents damage like soft tissue trauma or chipped teeth or even more severe cases like damaged nerves in teeth, displaced teeth, or a broken jaw.

The Australian Dental Association (ADA) recommends custom fitted professional mouthguards over store bought stock or “boil and bite” mouthguards.

Key benefits of a professionally made mouthguard

A quality custom fit dental mouthguard offers;

• Better protection: The Smile Team custom made mouthguards offer more protection than a “boil and bite” guard as they cover more of the jaw bone as well as the teeth and often have a better suction fit to avoid displacement during high impact sports.
• Greater comfort: We create the mouthguard to suit the exact size and shape of your mouth, increasing overall comfort. This means the smallest and thinnest size possible without compromising in protection. It is not a “one size fits all approach”.
• Enhanced performance: A custom fitted mouthguard allows their wearers to perform better through greater confidence, clearer speech (essential during team sports), and reduced distraction due to an ill- fitting guard.

Types of mouthguards

Professional Custom Fit Mouthguard

Good protection from a mouthguard is a worthwhile investment to prevent a lifetime costs due to an unforeseen dental injury such as:

• Cracked or chipped tooth, resulting in a filling or crown.
• Damaged nerve on a tooth, resulting in a dark tooth, or requiring root canal therapy.
• Tooth avulsion (tooth knocked out), resulting in the need for tooth replacement options such as dental implants or porcelain crown and bridge treatment.
• Broken jaw, resulting in surgery.

At The Smile Team we can create quality professional mouthguards at different thicknesses to suit the age and sport. We also offer an extensive range of colour and design options as well as personalised identification. You can feel confident being protected while looking good in almost any combination of colours to match your team or favourite club.

The Smile Team offers 3 types of mouthguards depending upon the age and level of risk for the individual;

• Junior mouthguard
• High protection mouthguard
• Professional (dual laminate) mouthguard

Stock mouthguard

This type of mouth guard can be purchased from pharmacy or other retail stores and is usually a pre formed plastic material in an arch shape. It may come in different sizes which may not offer the most supportive fit and usually offers only minimal room for trimming or adjustment

Boil and Bite Mouthguard

Also available in pharmacies and made from a thermoplastic material where a pre formed generic arch shape is warmed in boiling water for 2-3 minutes then self- fitted to the mouth to improve adaptation around teeth and gums compared to the fit from a non- moulded stock mouth guard. These types may constantly need to be re shaped after wear and certain types may cause scalding of the mouth or gums if inserted too quickly or whilst hot.

Some research shows that a “boil and Bite” mouthguard can be only marginally more effective than no mouthguard at all.

Procedure

At your first appointment your dentist or oral health therapist will take an impression/mould of your teeth which will then be sent along to our laboratory for creation. A short time after at a second visit we will personally fit the mouthguard to ensure it is comfortable and well fitted for protection. Mouthguards are usually reviewed every 12 months to ensure they still fit well. For adults, a well made mouthguard can last years. In a growing mouth through childhood and teenage years, mouthguards may need to be adjusted or replaced more frequently to suit the developing changes in the mouth.