Athletic Mouthguards

Did you know that approximately 25% of all dental injuries are sports-related? We have seen first hand the importance of wearing a custom athletic mouthguard to prevent dental injuries while playing soccer - as well as many other sports.

Why Athletic Mouthguards?

The ADA recommends all children and youth participating in soccer (and dozens of other sports) wear a mouthguard. The highest incidence of sports-related dental injuries that we see at Smile Hilliard come from biking, soccer, and swimming. It is easy to imagine how biking and soccer injuries occur, but you may not have thought about the prevalence of a child hitting their mouth on the side or bottom of a pool if they’re not wearing goggles or if they slip and fall.

Studies have shown some strong statistics, including:

• Athletic mouthguards cut the risk of a concussion by 50%
• 50% of all children and teens will suffer at least one traumatic injury to a tooth by the time they graduate high school
• Sports related injuries account for 3 times more facial/dental injuries than violence or traffic accidents

The data is available and proves it’s worth wearing an athletic mouthguard—regardless of if they are slightly uncomfortable and take time to get used to wearing. Fortunately, with custom athletic mouthguards like the ones we offer, the fit will be much more unique to the individual than store-bought mouthguards that are fitted at home.

How do Custom Athletic Mouthguards Work?

Athletic mouthguards better protect your mouth from injuries to teeth, cheeks, lips, and tongue that could occur during sports, including concussions, jaw injuries, broken teeth, and more.

Typically, the process of creating a custom athletic mouthguard for your child is simple:

• At your child's appointment, we’ll take an impression of their teeth. Children who can take x-rays without a problem, can typically have an impression taken too.
• We fabricate the personalized mouthguard in our in-house lab.
• Once completed, you’ll visit us again so for a short appointment so your child can try on the mouthguard and make sure it fits perfectly.

We’re thrilled to offer FREE custom athletic mouthguards for children—a $150 value! The oral health and safety of your child is extremely important to us, so we are proud to offer this service free of charge.