Mouthguards can be seen as the form of insurance for your teeth in the sense that they are the small protective devices which provide protection against vital dental structures – teeth, gums or tongue especially in the situations like playing sports where there is a considerable risk of getting injured or hurt.
Mouthguard is a dental appliance that is designed to protect your teeth, gums or jaw during various activities that may pose risk to your Oral Health.
Mouthguards serve several purposes:
- Protect against sports injuries: There are several sports such as Boxing, Skating, soccer, hockey, football etc which may pose a high risk for getting injured. In such cases, mouthguards become indispensable as they protect the teeth, gums, jaw, tongue etc from getting injured. In absence of mouth protectors, there could be lip lacerations, knocked out teeth, broken teeth which may cause huge financial burden for the players to get it treated. Not only financial burden but they also cause emotional and psychological disturbances. These all can be prevented by use of mouth protectors.
- Prevention of teeth grinding (Bruxism): In the patients who grind their teeth during the night or even during the day due to various psychological or emotional factors or may be due to muscular disorders, Nightguards in such cases prevent the grinding of teeth and prevent from further complications such as attrition which may cause sensitivity and require root canal treatment of the teeth.
- Preventive measures for children: Children especially during teenage are indulged in various activities such as skateboarding or bike riding. Mouthguards in such cases prevent oral structures from getting injured. This may avoid the need of extensive dental work in future.
- Protection during Orthodontic treatment: Individuals with orthodontic appliances such as braces can also benefit from mouth protectors as they are designed to protect their teeth and the orthodontic hardware. Such guards help to prevent the injuries resulting from falls or accidents during active lifestyles.
- TMJ Disorders: Patients with TMJ disorders also benefit from these mouthguards as they help to reduce symptoms of pain and prevent their teeth from clenching or grinding.
Though mouthguards are not the insurance policies in true sense but they surely, they can be a cost-effective way to prevent dental injuries and safeguarding your oral structures. If you are concerned about dental injuries or have any specific concerns you should visit your dentist for further information.