With fall sports starting, you are probably purchasing all the gear that your child/teenager will need for the upcoming season.   We would like to remind parents that mouthguards are an important piece of “equipment” that protects your children’s teeth and could possibly reduce their incidence of concussion.

All mouthguards are not made equally.  There is a difference between custom-made, properly fitting mouthguards fabricated by a dentist versus the over the counter “boil-and-bite” type of mouthguard.  Custom mouthguards have a better fit, are made from a mould of your mouth, and are designed to have a minimal thickness of 3mm.  Some studies have shown that it is this minimal thickness in custom mouthguards that can protect athletes from a concussion.   The over the counter boil-and-bite type of mouthguard is often altered by athletes because of poor fit or discomfort.  Some alterations such as cutting off the back end of the guard or biting completely through the material during forming can take away the protective properties of a mouthguard.  It is not proven that custom made mouth guards can protect athletes from a mild traumatic brain injury or concussion, but there are studies that show a significant difference in injury rate when comparing athletes wearing custom made mouthguards versus store bought mouthguards.

Here are a few websites with some helpful information regarding mouthguards and oral-facial/head injuries related to sports.

http://www.sportsdentistry.com/concussion.html

http://www.nays.org/article/10872-Starter

The good news is that we can help your child be safe and have fun during his/her sports endeavors.  Call our office today at 303-498-9207 to get your child fitted for a custom mouthguard!

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