Custom Made Mouthguards | Fullarton Park Dental

A professionally made custom mouthguard is a moulded single piece of specially made plastic that covers the teeth and helps distribute force during a hit to the face. According to the Australian Dental Association around one third of traumatic injuries to teeth are sports related. These injuries can consist of broken or chipped teeth, fractures to the jaw and injuries to the soft tissues such as cheeks and lips.

Wearing a custom fitted mouthguard during sports or activities that have the potential of collision or contact with other players or equipment can be an affordable alternative to years of costly repairs and treatment. Our custom-made mouthguards will allow better comfort, more natural breathing and swallowing, normal speech and give the greatest protection over non-custom guards available in stores.

If you or your child need a mouthguard, please don’t hesitate to phone us on (08) 8272 5271.

Netball

Water Polo

Horse Riding

Volleyball

Squash

Extreme sports

Skateboarding or Skating activities

Water skiing (including knee boarding and wake boarding)

…and many more.

During you or your child’s first appointment to have a custom mouth guard made, the dental professional will assess for suitability and often ask questions about what type of sport or activity this mouth guard is for. Then we will offer a selection of colours. Often our patients will choose club colours, or show their support for their favourite AFL or Rugby team or even emulate their favourite players choice of mouthguard.

The second part of this appointment is taking an accurate impression of the teeth. This impression material is mostly flavourless and sets quite quickly. This material will be places in a tray that we have chosen to fit over your teeth while allowing the material to press up into the lip space. This will mean the mouthguard will cover not only the visible parts of our teeth but also the roots and surrounding bone. This offers a much greater degree of protection in the instance of a collision or knock to the face.

After we have cleaned up any remaining material, we package this impression to send to a professional Laboratory and we will make an appointment for 2 weeks later to fit the mouthguard. At this second appointment the dental professional will make sure that you or your child can both insert and remove the guard, that it covers at risk teeth well, and that it is comfortable to wear. Sometimes minor alterations are made, but often this is ready to go.

Can I wear a sports Mouthguard with Orthodontics or Braces?

Yes! Some sporting authorities will specify that participants with braces MUST wear a mouthguard for the protection of others i.e. wrestling. Often with children playing a modified version of a contact sport we will offer the option of using a “boil and bite” mouthguard from the chemist. While this type of mouthguard is generally less effective, for the short period of time that the child has braces this can be a more comfortable and less expensive option. During orthodontics the mouth can undergo many changes and the custom nature of a professionally made Sports Mouthguard can be less forgiving of these changes. Once treatment is completed, a custom mouthguard should be made to protect your investment!

How often do I need a new Mouthguard?

Children’s mouthguards should be replaced every 12-18 months. New teeth and changes to facial structure through normal growth can cause a mouthguard to become less effective.

Adults Mouthguards can last several years, providing there has been no dental treatment or tooth loss and the guard appears in good condition.

In either case, bringing you or your child’s sports mouthguard to your dental appointment for a dental professional to assess is always welcome.

Can you talk wearing a sports mouthguard?

Custom-made mouthguards are made from an impression which is taken of your child’s teeth. This means the mouthguard will be comfortable and shouldn’t drop out during play or affect their breathing or speech, which mean they are more likely to be worn to help protect your child’s teeth!

Should I wear it during practice?

We recommend these are worn at all times when your child is engaging in sports, this includes weekly practices as well as games.

How do I maintain my custom mouthguard?

You will receive a container to keep it safe and some care instructions to keep it clean and healthy. These instructions will cover rinsing in warm water and leaving to dry completely before packaging away, not using hot water or leaving in a hot place such as the car and making sure it is in good condition before using.

417 Fullarton Road

(08) 8272 5271

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Mouthguards