Sports-related collisions, falls, and impacts are a common cause of dental and facial injuries. Even activities that don’t involve direct player-to-player contact — such as skateboarding, cycling, or ball sports — can produce blows that chip, fracture, or completely dislodge teeth. Beyond the visible damage, an untreated dental injury can lead to long-term problems like infection, root damage, and changes in bite and jaw alignment.
Protecting the mouth isn’t just about preserving a smile; it’s about reducing the risk of painful, time-consuming treatments and safeguarding overall oral health. Mouthguards act as a flexible barrier that absorbs and distributes force across the teeth and jaw, lowering the likelihood of tooth displacement, soft-tissue lacerations, and jaw fractures. For young athletes, a properly fitted guard can also prevent costly restorative work and disruptions to school and sports schedules.
Coaches, parents, and players sometimes underestimate how frequently dental injuries occur: even non-contact sports carry risk. Because every athlete and every sport presents a different pattern of exposure, wearing a mouthguard should be treated as standard safety practice — similar to helmets, pads, and proper footwear — rather than an optional accessory.
There are three primary categories of mouthguards sold and used today: stock (ready-to-wear), boil-and-bite, and custom-made guards created by a dental professional. Stock guards are pre-formed and come in limited sizes; they’re inexpensive and easy to obtain, but they rarely offer a snug fit and can interfere with speech and breathing. Boil-and-bite guards improve fit by softening in hot water and then being molded over the teeth, which helps with retention but still may fall short of ideal comfort or protection.
Custom mouthguards are fabricated from impressions or digital scans of a patient’s teeth and are designed to the contours of the bite. These guards provide better coverage, superior retention, and can be adjusted for athletes with braces, crowns, or other dental appliances. Because they are made from medical-grade materials, custom guards typically balance protection with comfort, allowing wearers to breathe, speak, and perform more naturally.
For patients undergoing orthodontic treatment, specialized designs are available to accommodate brackets and wires while minimizing irritation. Discussing your specific dental situation with the dental team ensures you receive a guard that fits safely over or around orthodontic hardware, preserving both the treatment plan and the athlete’s safety.
Choosing the right category depends on the athlete’s age, the level of contact in their sport, and comfort preferences. While stock and boil-and-bite options may serve as short-term or emergency solutions, custom guards are generally the preferred choice for athletes who train regularly or play high-impact sports.
A custom mouthguard begins with a precise record of the patient’s teeth — either a traditional impression or a digital intraoral scan. The dental laboratory uses that model to craft a guard that follows the bite’s natural anatomy, ensuring an even, stable fit. Because the guard cups the teeth and supports the jaw, it reduces the force transmitted to individual teeth and the temporomandibular joints during impact.
Proper fit affects more than protection. A well-designed mouthguard stays securely in place without requiring the athlete to clench or reposition it constantly. That stable fit helps maintain clear breathing and speech, which is essential for communication on the field. It also reduces the chance of gagging or swallowing the guard during play, a common complaint with poorly fitting stock products.
Material choice plays a role as well. Thicker layers and shock-absorbing laminates provide enhanced protection, while thinner, flexible inner surfaces boost comfort. Because custom guards are tailored to an athlete’s mouth, they can provide optimal coverage while minimizing bulk — a balance that off-the-shelf options seldom achieve. When performance and safety both matter, fit and material quality are the deciding factors.
Maintaining a mouthguard is straightforward but essential. Rinse the device with cool water after each use, brush it gently with a non-abrasive toothbrush and mild soap, and store it in a ventilated case to prevent bacterial growth. Avoid leaving a mouthguard in direct sunlight, hot vehicles, or near heat sources, as elevated temperatures can warp the material and compromise fit.
Regular inspection helps identify wear and tear early. Small tears, permanent indentations, or a loose fit are signals that the guard may no longer provide adequate protection. Children and adolescents grow quickly, so their guards should be checked more frequently; what fits well this season may be too small the next. Athletes who grind their teeth or have dental restorations should also have their guards evaluated periodically for fit and structural integrity.
When a guard shows visible damage, or if an athlete reports discomfort, breathing issues, or irritation, it’s time to replace or refit the appliance. Proper maintenance extends a mouthguard’s useful life, but replacement schedules vary by material, level of use, and changes in dental anatomy. Regular visits to your dental provider can ensure ongoing protection and performance.
Every sport demands a different balance of protection, comfort, and unobstructed breathing. Contact sports such as football, hockey, and martial arts require guards that prioritize impact dispersion and coverage. Sports where collisions are less predictable — for example, basketball, soccer, or cycling — also benefit from guards that protect upper front teeth and soft tissues. For athletes who wear helmets or face masks, compatibility and retention are key considerations to keep the guard safely in place during play.
Young athletes need guards that accommodate dental development. Pediatric guards can be designed with flexible materials and room for erupting teeth, or they can be remade as children’s mouths change. For athletes with braces, a professionally made orthodontic mouthguard can reduce damage to brackets while still delivering sufficient protection to the teeth and gums.
Working with a dental team makes it easier to match the guard to an athlete’s needs. A consultation lets the clinician review the sport’s demands, evaluate the mouth and any existing dental work, and recommend a design that supports both safety and performance. In many cases, the office can adjust or reline a custom guard to address changes in fit without requiring a full replacement.
When you want a combination of comfort, durability, and tailored performance, custom mouthguards are the most reliable option. The practice at Draper Dental offers individualized fittings and materials selection so athletes can perform with confidence while minimizing the risk of avoidable injuries.
In summary, a properly selected and maintained sports mouthguard is one of the most effective preventive tools for protecting teeth, soft tissues, and jaw structures during athletic activity. Whether you’re shopping for a child’s first guard or upgrading to a custom option for a competitive athlete, a dental professional can help you find the best fit and design. Contact us for more information about mouthguard options and to schedule a consultation with our team.
Sports-related impacts, falls, and collisions are a leading cause of dental injuries in athletes of all ages, and even non-contact activities can produce blows that chip, fracture, or dislodge teeth. A mouthguard acts as a flexible barrier that absorbs and redistributes impact forces across the dental arches and jaw, lowering the risk of tooth displacement and soft-tissue lacerations. Protecting the mouth reduces the likelihood of painful, time-consuming dental treatment and helps prevent longer-term complications such as infection or damage to the tooth root and surrounding structures.
For young athletes, a properly fitted mouthguard also minimizes interruptions to school and sports schedules by reducing the chances of emergency dental care or prolonged restorative work. Coaches and parents should treat mouthguards as standard protective equipment—alongside helmets and pads—because every sport and athlete presents a unique pattern of exposure. Regular use is a practical step toward preserving oral health, maintaining performance, and reducing preventable injuries over time.
There are three common categories of mouthguards: stock (ready-to-wear), boil-and-bite, and custom-made devices created by a dental professional. Stock guards are inexpensive and immediately available but often fit poorly and can interfere with breathing and speech, while boil-and-bite guards offer an improved fit by molding soft thermoplastic around the teeth after warming. Custom mouthguards are fabricated from impressions or digital scans and are designed to the bite's contours, providing superior retention, coverage, and comfort compared with off-the-shelf options.
Choosing between these types depends on the athlete's age, level of play, and specific needs—stock or boil-and-bite guards can serve as stopgap solutions, but athletes who train regularly or participate in high-impact sports generally benefit most from a custom device. Custom guards can also be adapted for compatibility with helmets, face masks, and orthodontic appliances, and they are often constructed from medical-grade materials that better balance protection with performance. Discussing activity level and mouth anatomy with a dental clinician helps identify the most appropriate category for each athlete.
A custom mouthguard is created from a precise record of the individual's teeth—either a traditional impression or a digital intraoral scan—so the final appliance follows the bite’s natural anatomy for an even, stable fit. This tailored fit improves retention without constant repositioning, preserves clear breathing and speech, and reduces the risk of gagging or accidental loss during play, issues commonly reported with stock products. Custom devices also permit variation in material thickness and layering to optimize shock absorption where protection is most needed.
By comparison, boil-and-bite guards are molded by the wearer at home and may provide improved retention over stock options but seldom achieve the anatomical accuracy or long-term comfort of a custom appliance. Custom guards can be specifically designed to accommodate braces, crowns, or other dental work and are fabricated from durable, medical-grade materials intended for repetitive athletic use. For athletes serious about performance and safety, the advantages of a custom guard in fit, protection, and durability frequently make it the preferred choice.
A custom fitting begins with an appointment to record the mouth anatomy, either through a conventional impression or a digital scan; the chosen method captures the precise relationship between the upper and lower teeth. The dental laboratory then fabricates the guard to those specifications, often building layers to balance shock absorption and comfort, and the clinician completes final adjustments at a follow-up visit to ensure proper retention and occlusion. Most patients find the process straightforward and minimally disruptive to their schedule, with the initial appointment typically lasting less than an hour and the delivery visit taking only a short adjustment session.
During the fitting, the clinician will assess breathing, speech, and comfort while the guard is in the mouth, making minor trims or relines as needed for an optimal fit. Athletes should communicate any discomfort or interference with performance so the guard can be refined before regular use. Periodic reassessment is recommended, especially for growing children or athletes whose dental anatomy changes due to orthodontics or wear.
Mouthguards primarily reduce dental and soft-tissue injuries by absorbing and dispersing impact forces to the teeth and supporting structures, which helps prevent tooth fractures, displacements, and lacerations. There is ongoing research about the relationship between mouthguard use and concussion risk; while some studies suggest that well-fitted, properly designed guards may help distribute forces in a way that lessens strain on the jaw and temporomandibular joints, mouthguards are not a guaranteed prevention for concussions. Helmets, rule enforcement, proper technique, and other sport-specific protective equipment remain critical elements in concussion prevention.
That said, a well-made mouthguard can reduce the severity of jaw-related injuries by stabilizing the bite and cushioning blows that might otherwise transmit excessive force to the jaw and skull. For athletes at higher risk of facial impact, combining a custom mouthguard with other protective gear provides a more comprehensive approach to safety. Clinicians can recommend designs and materials that prioritize impact dispersion while maintaining comfortable breathing and communication on the field.
Proper care extends a mouthguard's useful life and reduces the risk of bacterial growth. Rinse the guard with cool water after each use, brush it gently with a soft toothbrush and mild soap or non-abrasive toothpaste, and allow it to air-dry before storing it in a ventilated case to prevent moisture buildup and odors. Avoid exposing the guard to direct sunlight or high heat, such as leaving it in a hot car, because elevated temperatures can warp the material and compromise fit.
Inspect the mouthguard regularly for signs of wear, such as small tears, deep indentations, or a loose fit, and replace or refit it if those issues appear. For athletes with special needs or dental restorations, periodic professional evaluations can confirm the device continues to fit and function as intended. Routine hygiene and appropriate storage are simple steps that preserve both protection and comfort for ongoing athletic use.
A mouthguard should be replaced or professionally refitted whenever it shows visible signs of damage—such as tears, holes, or permanent indentations—or if it no longer fits snugly and securely. Children and adolescents often require more frequent replacements because of natural dental growth and changes associated with orthodontic treatment, and athletes who grind their teeth may wear through a guard more quickly. Any report of discomfort, breathing difficulty, or irritation during use is a cue to have the appliance evaluated by a dental clinician.
Even without obvious damage, schedule a check when dental work is performed, when braces are adjusted, or when a significant change in bite occurs to ensure continued protection. Routine follow-ups allow the clinician to reline or trim a custom guard when minor adjustments are needed, avoiding unnecessary full replacements when possible. Maintaining a proactive replacement schedule preserves the guard’s protective properties and the athlete’s safety.
Yes, specialized mouthguards are designed to accommodate braces, brackets, wires, and other dental appliances while still protecting the teeth and soft tissues. A properly fitted orthodontic mouthguard either covers the braces or is shaped to provide a buffer that minimizes contact between the appliance and surrounding tissues, reducing the likelihood of cuts or appliance damage during athletic activity. Custom fabrication is often the best option for athletes with orthodontic hardware because the guard can be tailored to the specific configuration of brackets and wires.
Clinicians may recommend periodic adjustments as orthodontic treatment progresses to maintain comfort and adequate protection, and many custom guards can be modified or relined rather than fully replaced. For removable appliances or partial prosthetics, the dental team will evaluate how the guard interacts with the restoration and recommend a design that preserves both the appliance and the wearer’s safety. Communication between patient, orthodontist, and general dentist helps ensure coordinated care and protection during sports.
Selecting the right mouthguard starts with evaluating the sport’s contact level, the athlete’s breathing and communication needs, and any unique dental conditions such as braces or restorations. High-impact contact sports typically call for guards that prioritize thicker shock-absorbing laminates and comprehensive coverage, while sports requiring continuous aerobic exertion may benefit from designs that balance protection with minimal bulk to support unobstructed breathing. Age and growth patterns matter too, as pediatric designs should allow room for erupting teeth or be scheduled for replacement at predictable intervals.
Consulting with a dental professional helps match materials, thickness, and retention features to the athlete’s performance goals and oral anatomy. A custom mouthguard often provides the best balance of protection and comfort, but well-made boil-and-bite options can be suitable for occasional or lower-risk activities. The clinician can recommend compromises that preserve safety without impairing breathing, speech, or performance on the field.
To schedule a consultation or custom mouthguard fitting, contact the office directly to arrange an appointment with a clinician who can evaluate the athlete’s mouth and sport-specific needs. During the visit, the team will review the activity level, take impressions or a digital scan if appropriate, and discuss material and design options that prioritize protection, comfort, and compatibility with helmets or orthodontic appliances. The clinician will also explain care and replacement guidelines so the athlete and caregivers know how to maintain the device properly.
If you have questions about how a mouthguard will interact with braces, implants, or other dental work, bring recent dental records or mention prior treatments so the team can plan an appropriate design. Scheduling a fitting before the sports season begins ensures the athlete has time to adjust to the guard and allows for any necessary refinements. For convenience, please call (801) 762-8920 to reach the practice and arrange an appointment at our Draper, UT location.
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