Sports Mouthguards

A sports mouthguard isn’t just for protecting your teeth. Wearing a mouthguard can also help to prevent or reduce the impact of injuries to other parts of your head and jaw. Mouthguards provide a cushion for your teeth against impact, while also protecting against jaw joint and soft tissue injuries. They can also help to prevent neck and jaw injuries as well as help reduce concussion.

If a baby tooth is knocked out, it is important not to attempt to put it back into its socket as this may cause damage to the permanent tooth or lead to infection. A clean cloth should be used to apply pressure directly to the injured area to control bleeding. An ice pack or cold compress can be applied to the area to minimise swelling. If an adult tooth is knocked out, it needs to be handled with extreme care in hope that it can be replaced in the mouth with success. The tooth must be handled gently, trying to avoid touching the root of the tooth, scraping or rubbing the tooth surface or removing any soft tissue fragments from the tooth. The tooth must be kept moist at all times, but should not be put in ice or hot water or rinsed or stored in water for longer than 1 or 2 seconds.

To give the best protection against injuries, mouthguards should be custom-fitted by your dentist. At Central Brisbane Dental, your dentist can accurately assess your mouth and determine the mouthguard that is most appropriate for you. Impressions are taken of your teeth and gums to form models on which your mouthguard is custom-fitted to provide the best result. This ensures the mouthguard is comfortable, well-fitting, allows clear speech, won’t shift or fall out and won’t restrict breathing.

Over-the-counter mouthguards have a poorer fit to your teeth and gums and hence do not provide enough protection against injuries to your teeth, mouth or jaw. Although over-the-counter mouthguards are cheaper, it is worthwhile investing in a custom-fitted mouthguard from your dentist as dental injuries can be more costly.

If a dental injury has occurred, please see a dentist straight away as time is critical in preventing permanent damage. If a tooth is cracked or chipped, place any broken pieces in milk or plastic wrap if milk is not available and take them with you to the dentist who can determine whether these pieces can be reattached. If a tooth is completely knocked out, what you do is different depending on whether the tooth is a baby tooth or an adult tooth.

Sometimes a denture is needed to replace a front teeth that needs to be removed. So there is no time without a front tooth, a denture can be made before the tooth is extracted. The denture can be used to cover the extraction site and guide tissue healing. There is some inaccuracy with this technique, however, as it cannot be fully predicted exactly how the tissue covered by the denture will heal. This type of denture is called an immediate denture and may require relining to compensate for this inaccuracy. Relining a denture involves giving the denture a new inner surface so it better adapts to the underlying gum and bone. This can only be done a limited number of times before the denture needs to be remade.