According to the American Dental Association, more than 200,000 injuries to the mouth are prevented every year because people wore sports mouth guards to protect their smile. If you or your child engage in contact sports or other athletic activities, you might consider wearing one of these smile protectors. This simple appliance shields your smile from injury by covering and cushioning the upper teeth and gums, and by preventing accidental harm to your jaws and lips as well.

Which sports can a mouth guard help?

The American Dental Association recommends mouth guards be worn during the following activities: Acrobats, basketball, boxing, field hockey, football, gymnastics, handball, ice hockey, lacrosse, martial arts, racquetball, roller hockey, rugby, shot putting skateboarding, skiing, skydiving, soccer, squash, surfing, wrestling, weightlifting, volleyball, and water polo.

What does a sports mouth guard do for me?

An athletic mouth guard protects against fracturing or breaking teeth, knocking out or displacing teeth, biting lips and cheeks and protecting against jaw fractures.

Reasons people don’t wear their mouth guard

• It feels uncomfortable
• It makes breathing uncomfortable
• It interferes with speech
• Peer pressure
• The sport doesn’t require it, even though trauma can occur

Reasons you should wear a sports mouth guard:

• Protects the jaw joints against trauma/injury
• Prevents injury to your neck and jaw
• Protects the teeth against impact from force
• Protects the soft tissues in the mouth from injury/trauma
• Can protect against concussion

Where to find a sports mouth guard?

Although you can find a basic stock mouth guard or boil and bite mouth guard in most sporting goods stores, your most comfortable, best-fitting sports mouth guard which eliminates discomfort, speech impairment and breathing complaints common with store-bought mouth guards–comes from our custom-made athletic mouth guards. We invite you to come in and find out how our sports mouth guards can best protect you or your child’s smile.

Please call 970-245-3633 at Horizon Dental Care, to learn more about our mouth guards and to schedule a consultation with Dr. Bob Johnson and our team. We are pleased to provide custom sports mouth guards in Grand Junction, Colorado, for our patients’ healthy smiles.