Mouth guards: sports mouthguards / athletic mouthpieces / football protectors

There is an adage that states "a stitch in time saves nine." This line of thinking is quite applicable to the use of sports mouthguards. Once tooth damage has occurred it opens a cascading course of events that will have at least minor, and quite possibly fairly major, repercussions for the person throughout their lifetime.

Except in the most minor cases if a tooth has become damaged some type of tooth repair will need to be made. Having a small tooth-colored filling placed so to repair a relatively minor chip in a tooth might cost as little as $100 or so. More significant repair such as having root canal treatment performed and then a dental post and crown placed can cost anywhere from a few to several thousands of dollars. The higher end of this same price range could be expected to apply if a tooth is lost and is replaced with either a dental bridge or an implant.

This means that the cost to repair the damage caused by a sports injury can easily be in the range of 10 to 30 times the cost of a custom mouthguard. Of course this cost doesn't include what a person might wish they could have paid so never to have experienced the pain, suffering, and inconvenience associated with an accident. It also doesn't include an accounting of the amount of time the person will spend having the dental treatment performed.

Beyond the cost of the initial dental work you can expect that additional treatment will be needed in the future. Dental restorations cannot be expected to last a lifetime. This is especially true in those cases where the cosmetic appearance of the dental work is a major consideration. White fillings can be expected to stain and deteriorate over time. The gum line of teeth that have had dental crowns placed on them can recede as years pass and as a result compromise their cosmetic appearance. Beyond just replacement dental work, additional new dental treatment may be required. The nerve tissue inside any tooth that has received a hard blow can necrose (die), sometimes even years after the original traumatic event, and therefore necessitate root canal treatment. All of this adds up to the point that the oversight of not wearing a sports mouthguard can potentially end up costing a person tens of thousands of dollars in dental expenses over the course of their lifetime.

Care instructions for sports mouthguards.

Mouthguards really don't need much in the way of care but here are some points that would be a good idea to keep in mind as you put your guard to use.

• Athletic mouthguards are made from plastic that has the potential to distort or deform if it is exposed to elevated temperatures. A mouth protector should never be allowed to sit in direct sunlight for extended periods of time, be stored or left in a hot environment (like the inside of your car on a summer day), immersed in hot water, or placed on a hot surface.
  
  
• After wearing a mouthguard it's a good idea to clean it. At minimum you should rinse it off using cool water. A more thorough cleaning process could include gently scrubbing the guard with your fingers or better yet a toothbrush.
  
  
• For those times when your guard is not in your mouth it should be stored it in a hard, perforated case. The perforations in the case will allow the guard to dry out throughly between each use. The case itself can protect the guard from physical damage. Usually a mouthguard will come with its own case. If not, it should be easy enough to find one at your local drugstore or pharmacy.
  
  
• When wearing your mouthguard you should make a point of not chewing on it. This habit can rip, tear, or pierce a guard and as a result compromise the level of protection it provides.
  
  

Sports mouthguards are intended to wear out.

You should expect that as time goes by your mouthguard will show signs of wear and will need to be replaced. You may find that holes, rips, or tears have formed in the guard's plastic or that its fit has become slack. If you notice any of these changes you should simply realize that the effective life span of your sports mouthpiece is probably coming to an end. Even with a high-end dentist dispensed mouthguard it is usually not possible, practical, or cost effective to attempt a repair. You should simply have your mouth fitted for a new guard.