It’s important to protect your teeth from damage whenever possible. If you’ve ever played a contact sport, like football or hockey, then you probably have worn a mouth guard to protect your teeth. We even recommend wearing a mouth guard at night for anyone that has problems with teeth grinding.

Bruxism (teeth grinding) can cause moderate to severe long-term damage to teeth. Constant grinding wears down the surface of the tooth, exposing the soft dentin beneath the enamel.

This is why it’s important to protect your teeth while you sleep by wearing a night time bite guard. Bruxism can even cause a root fracture below the gum line, requiring a root canal and crown to restore the damaged tooth.

When it comes to protecting your mouth, a sports mouth guard is an essential piece of athletic gear that should be part of your standard equipment from an early age. While collision and contact sports, such as boxing, are higher-risk sports for the mouth, you can experience a dental injury in non-contact activities too, such as gymnastics and skating.

Custom-fitted: These are made specifically for you by your dentist. They may be more expensive than the other versions, but because they are customized, usually offer the best fit.

Stock: These are inexpensive and come pre-formed, ready to wear. However, they often don’t fit well. They can be bulky and can make breathing and talking difficult.

Boil and bite: These mouth protectors can be bought at many sporting goods stores and drugstores, and may offer a better fit than stock mouth protectors. They are first softened in water (boiled), then inserted and allowed to adapt to the shape of your mouth.

The best bite guard is one that has been custom made for your mouth by your dentist. However, if you can’t afford a custom-fitted one, you should still wear a stock bite guard or a boil-and-bite kind from the drugstore. Give us a call at (843) 352-4454 to learn more about your options.