Custom-Fitted Sports Guards for Child Athletes in Watauga, TX
Enjoying sports is one of the joys of childhood. Sports build character, confidence, and a lifelong love of exercise. Your child may be a rising star, but even on their best days accidents can happen. We provide custom-fitted mouthguards to match the shape of your child’s bite for effective, affordable protection.
Should My Child Wear a Sports guard?
Sports guards provide a protective barrier between the teeth during play. Although they’re primarily designed to protect teeth, they have several other health benefits. The shock-absorbing barrier greatly reduces the force of a blow to the jaw and minimizes the chance of brain injury. They also lessen the risk of common lip, tongue, and gum injuries during a game.
Not every sport mandates wearing mouth protection. Even if it’s not required, players for many sports would benefit from the extra protection. For shielding teeth against swinging elbows and foul balls, the American Dental Association recommends wearing a sports guard during play.
Benefits of Custom-Fitted Mouthguards
Custom-fitted mouth guards aren’t the only option, but they’re the most comfortable and effective. Most athletic stores carry both ready-made stock mouth guards and boil and bite options. These provide universal fits that aren’t adjustable, or limited molding ability to match your child’s bite.
A custom-fitted mouthguard is created by your dentist to align with your child’s teeth and bite. An impression is made of their teeth and then used as the mold for creating their guard. They cost slightly more, but the benefits are well worth the investment:
- Increased comfort: A customized fit is less likely to shift or cause discomfort during wear.
- Better protection: A more accurate fit that matches the shape of your child’s bite offers more safety than a one-size-fits-all mouthguard.
- Orthodontically correct: Custom-fitted guards match your child’s teeth to promote healthy development of their bite.
- Better speech and breathing: Since the fit is customized, it can meet your child’s unique needs to avoid affecting speech and breathing.
Play On Fully Protected
Childhood sports memories last a lifetime. It’s our job to make sure a missing tooth isn’t one of them. For custom-fitted mouthguards to play on freely, contact us today to schedule an appointment at Aviator Pediatric Dentistry.