Sportsguards or mouthguards are plastic appliances that are used to protect the hard and soft tissues of the mouth during sporting activities. These can be custom made, “boil and bite” or preformed mouthguards. The custom made ones provide the best protection. Mouthguards can prevent tooth fractures and tooth loss. To some degree, it can also prevent jaw fractures. It also prevents soft tissue injuries to the lips and cheeks, particularly to those wearing braces. They can be made in a variety of fun colors.
The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and the American Association of Orthodontists are encouraging kids to wear these sportsguards during competitions and practices particularly for contact sports such as basketball, soccer, rugby and martial arts. Other sports, while not considered true contact sports, can include baseball, gymnastics, skateboarding and karting. More than half of sport-related mouth injuries occur in basketball and baseball.
