As an athlete, a mouthguard might be a regular part of your uniform. But you just got braces and you are worried these may keep you sitting on the sideline this season. The good news is, that’s not the case. However, you will need to make some adjustments for your braces when it comes to your mouthguard. You have made the investment in your teeth with braces, so you need to protect that investment and your teeth with an orthodontic mouthguard.
How a Mouthguard Protects Your Teeth
Mouthguards are a soft, flexible dental appliance that fits over your teeth and gums. They are designed to provide a cushion for your teeth and jawbones when you sustain a hit or sudden impact to your mouth and head.
Mouthguards come in three main varieties: stock, boil and bite, and custom fit. Stock mouthguards are a one-size-fits-all option and you can find them at your local sporting goods store. Unfortunately, these don’t usually fit well and do not provide a good level of protection. Boil and bite are similar except you can custom fit these slightly by placing them in boiling water to soften the material before biting down with your teeth. Custom-fit mouthguards are made from a mold of your teeth and provide the best protection. One of the most popular for girls is the pink mouthguard.
Unfortunately, when it comes to braces, not all of these options work well, or at all.
Braces Make Your Mouthguard Needs a Little Different
Mouthguards are made to fit against your teeth to provide protection. When you have braces, you have brackets and wires on the surface of your teeth, blocking the normal fit of your mouthguard. In addition to that, the idea of braces is to move your teeth, so custom-fit mouthguards will not continue to fit as the braces change your alignment.
When you have braces, boil and bite mouthguards are the best options, in most cases, they allow enough room for the brackets. Unfortunately, they do not provide great protection. In addition, because they do not fit around the teeth correctly, they can increase the risk of damage to the teeth and braces when hit.
Boil and bite guards work well with braces because you can customize the guard during your orthodontic treatment. Boil and Bite mouth guards are typically able to be reboiled and refit a few times allowing for teeth alignment changes. This will help as the teeth shift to their new location. You want to look for a guard that can be refitted multiple times.
Custom guards are usually best, but again, because your dental alignment is changing on a regular basis with braces, custom-fit mouthguards also pose a problem. A custom-fit mouthguard can produce pressure against the braces, extending your treatment time. And regular replacement mouthguards during treatment can get expensive. Custom-fit mouthguards require a dental impression to be taken, it is difficult to get a good impression with wires and brackets on the teeth. Dentists will normally pack wax around the wire and brackets when taking the impression. This can be an option for high-level athletes, but impressions and new mouthguards would have to be taken at regular intervals and can get expensive.
So, you may be confused at this point. We said at the beginning that braces wouldn’t sideline you, but we just said none of the main mouthguard types is a great fit for braces. So, what do you do now?
The answer is an orthodontic custom-fit mouthguard.
The Difference Between Stock and Custom Mouthguards
There are a few options when seeking a mouthguard if you have braces. The first option is a stock mouthguard which we don’t recommend for any situation. Stock mouthguards are not custom fit, are bulky, and rely on you clenching your teeth constantly as you play your sport to keep the guard in place. It provides the bare minimum protection while sacrificing any type of comfort becoming more of a nuisance. Stock mouthguards cost anywhere from $1 to $30 depending on the thickness and type of protection. While poor in every category besides affordability, they do allow you to have braces and wear this stock mouthguard at the same time.
Boil and bite mouthguards also allow braces. They provide better protection than stock mouthguards but your teeth are still at risk because boil and bite mouthguards are not durable. The material that they are created from is reformable so you may be able to reuse the boil and bite guard multiple times by boiling it in hot water and reforming it over your teeth with braces if your dentist has changed the brackets. While this seems like a perk, it contributes to how quickly a boil and bite mouthguard disintegrates. Your boil and bite mouthguard won’t last more than a season and you may be biting through it and the end of the season. It’s not professionally made so there are weak points in it, especially near the sharpest part of your teeth. Boil and bite mouthguards cost anywhere from $20 to $60.
Our recommended method to having a mouthguard with braces is going to the dentist and having a custom one created. The dentist will pack wax around your teeth and braces to come up with a custom-fitting mouthguard for braces. While this may be an expensive option, it’s the best for a mouthguard with braces. You’ll need protection from collisions and mouth damage with braces which can permanently scar the inside of your lip if you aren’t careful. The inside of your mouth can become torn to shreds when your braces hit the inside of your lips often ripping them open. It will take time to heal, and is often very painful with food and liquids. You also have a high risk of infection for all the open wounds in your mouth. Your best bet is to ask your dentist for a custom-fitting mouthguard if you have braces.
When your braces come off, ask your dentist for your teeth impressions. You can use them with SportingSmiles to craft a custom sports mouthguard. Our mouthguards offer premium protection and fit like glove, just for your teeth! The custom mouthguards we craft are the exact same ones that professional athletes wear, but because we don’t require insurance, in-person visits, and we take on the production of the mouthguard, it’s half the cost of the dentist. When your teeth are in perfect position after braces, turn to SportingSmiles for your custom mouthguard protection.
SportingSmiles Offers Custom-Fit Mouthguards for after Braces
While SportingSmiles does not offer orthodontic mouthguards at this time, we are your home for custom-fit mouthguards after the orthodontist removes your braces. Keeping your teeth protected after braces is important and we offer custom-fit mouthguards at a fraction of the cost. In addition, we also offer custom-fit retainers, perfect for keeping your teeth in place after braces. For more information, visit our Athletic Mouth Guards and Orthodontic Retainers pages.
