Back to School and Back to Sports…It may be time for a new mouth guard.

Your local Jacksonville family dentist, Dr. Lysandro Tapnio, and his team compassionately serve patients of all ages. We are known for the time and personalized attention we adults, teens, and children. We all want our patients to have a lifetime of happy, healthy smiles. So, when a dental trauma occurs, we are there to help you immediately – but, we hope you will let us make the sports mouth guard that is best for you.

If you are tempted to wear a store-bought over-the-counter mouth guard, please don’t. It will not fit snugly. It will easily be dislodged. It will be bulkier than absorb custom-made one so uncomfortable to wear and can impede breathing. Parents, please be aware that your teens and children commonly remove mouth guards that are uncomfortable and impede breathing. They are reluctant to wear them when not reminded to do so. And, if they are wearing a mouth guard that is dislodged during athletic activities and there is forceful impact to the jaw, teeth, and/or face, the mouth guard will not provide adequate protection.

Here’s what can go wrong without a custom mouth guard. Front teeth can be fractured, loosened or knocked out. The lips, tongue and inside of the cheeks can be lacerated by teeth. The jaw can be fractured, requiring extensive healing. Injuries to the muscles of the neck, cervical spine, skull, and brain may be worse. During concentration and athletic exertion, jaws clench. Repeated clenching without a mouth guard results in painful inflammation and stress injuries to the temporomandibular muscles. This clenching can cause fractures in teeth and loosen teeth.

Proper-fitting mouth guards absorb forces associated with concussions and spinal injuries…evidence that they provide effective protection. For this reason, high school and college football players are required to wear mouth guards. Read more.

The American Dental Academy® estimates that athletes who do not wear mouth guards have double the risk of a dental injury. Mouth guards are most essential for those who play high contact sports, like football and wrestling. However, other athletes can benefit from mouth guards, too, for example, soccer players. And even individual sports with high risk of falls, such as skateboarding and gymnastics, can result in a traumatic dental injury.

Growing Children and Teens Need Seasonal Check on Mouth Guard Fit

As your children grow, so do the dimensions of their mouth. From season to season, they can outgrow their mouth guard. Also, look for signs of wear such as cracks and tears. Once this type of wear occurs, the mouth guard should be replaced. Be proactive and give us a call so Dr. Tapnio can evaluate the need, we can make an impression of the mouth, and fabricate a proper-fitting mouth guard. And, every time your child is coming in for a checkup, bring along their mouth guard so Dr. Tapnio can check the fit and wear.

“Children should begin the habit of wearing a mouth guard during sports at an early age, and their mouth guards should be replaced often as they grow,” says Dr. Tapnio. “Adult athletes should replace their mouth guard at least every two years.”

Our custom-fit mouth guards are affordable.

Beacon Family Dentistry of Jacksonville, FL is here for families and will strive to make your family’s dentistry as affordable as possible. Dr. Tapnio is passionate about Sports Dentistry and helping growing athletes have the protection they need. Give us a call, and we’ll explain more.