Why a mouthguard is the cheapest dental work you will ever buy
A knocked-out adult front tooth is a lifetime of dental work. A custom mouthguard is one appointment. Here is what the three types actually do, and which sports people forget to wear one for.
Here is the sum nobody does before a season starts.
A custom mouthguard is one appointment and one fee. A knocked-out adult front tooth is a lifetime of dental work: the emergency visit, then a replacement, then replacing that replacement every so often for the rest of your life. The tooth does not come back. Only the bills do.
That is the whole argument for mouthguards, and it is a strong one.
What a mouthguard actually protects
Most people picture teeth, and teeth are the obvious part. A guard also protects the jaw, the lips, the tongue and the cheeks, all of which get injured when something hard arrives at speed and the lower jaw slams into the upper one.
Broken and chipped teeth, split lips, bitten tongues and damage to existing crowns and bridges are all on the list. If you have already paid for cosmetic or restorative work, a guard is protecting that too.
The sports where people forget
The contact codes are obvious. Rugby, hockey, boxing and martial arts, and most clubs already require a guard.
The gap is everywhere else. Cricket, basketball, netball, soccer, skateboarding and BMX all produce plenty of dental injuries, and hardly anyone wears a guard for them. An elbow in a netball game does the same thing to a front tooth as an elbow in a rugby game.
The simple test: if a ball, a stick, an elbow or the ground can reach your face, wear one.
The three grades, honestly compared
Stock guards come ready-made in a packet. They are the cheapest and they fit nobody in particular. Because they are bulky and shift around, people end up clenching to hold them in place, and then take them out. Better than nothing, but only just.
Boil-and-bite guards are softened in hot water and bitten into. They fit better than stock and cost very little. They also thin out in the places you bite hardest, which are exactly the places you want thickness, and they lose their shape over a season.
Custom-made guards are built from a mould or scan of your own teeth. They are thicker where impact actually lands, they stay in without clenching, and you can talk in them. They cost more than the other two.
The honest reason the custom one wins is not really the material. It is that a comfortable guard gets worn every single game, and an annoying one ends up in the bag. Protection you do not wear is not protection.
Braces change the answer
If you or your child wears braces, a standard guard is not suitable. It can press the brackets into the lips and cheeks and cause the very injury it was meant to prevent.
An orthodontic mouthguard is made with room for the hardware. And if there is a retainer or a removable plate, that comes out before sport, every time.
Looking after it
A guard is a piece of equipment and it lasts if you treat it like one.
- Rinse it in cold water before and after every use
- Brush it gently with soap and water rather than toothpaste, which is abrasive
- Let it dry properly before it goes back in the case
- Keep the case ventilated and out of the sun
- Never use hot water, and never leave it in a parked car
Heat is the thing that ruins them. A guard that has been through a hot wash or a summer dashboard has lost its fit, and a guard that has lost its fit has lost the point.
Bring it to your check-ups. We will look at whether it still fits, and for children we will look at whether the mouth has outgrown it, which happens faster than parents expect.
The bottom line
A mouthguard is the only dental work you buy before you need it, and it is by far the cheapest.
If a season is coming up, or your child has just joined a team, we can take a scan and have a custom sports mouthguard made at any of our six clinics.
And if the worst has already happened, do not wait it out. A knocked-out adult tooth has a real chance of being saved if you move quickly. Here is exactly what to do: what to do with a knocked-out tooth.
Preventive care FAQ
Which sports actually need a mouthguard?
Any sport where a ball, a stick, an elbow or the ground can reach your face. That covers rugby, AFL, hockey, boxing and martial arts, and also cricket, basketball, netball, soccer and skateboarding, where injuries happen just as often but far fewer people wear a guard.
Is a custom mouthguard really better than one from the chemist?
Yes, for two reasons. It is moulded to your own teeth so it fits closely and stays put without clenching, and because it is comfortable it actually gets worn. The most protective guard in the world does nothing sitting in a kit bag.
My child is still losing baby teeth. Is a custom guard worth it?
It can be, and it is worth asking rather than assuming. A growing mouth changes shape, so a child's guard needs checking more often and may need remaking. We will tell you honestly whether a custom guard makes sense yet for your child's stage.
Can I wear a mouthguard with braces?
You need one designed for it. A standard guard can press the brackets into the lips and cheeks and cause the injury it was meant to prevent. An orthodontic guard is made with room for the hardware and protects the soft tissue as well as the teeth.
How should I look after it?
Rinse it in cold water after every use, brush it gently with soap rather than toothpaste, and let it dry before it goes in the case. Keep it away from hot water, dashboards and direct sun, because heat warps the fit and a guard that has lost its fit has lost the point.
