Why would I need a mouthguard?
It is advisable to wear a professionally made mouthguard if you play sports such as rugby, cricket, hockey and football. Impact to the face, either from a ball or another player, can cause shock waves to travel through your jaw leading to bone damage, or a direct hit can shatter or chip a tooth. In fact dental injuries are a common occurrence in these kinds of sports. A mouthguard will not help prevent chipping or breaking teeth as a result of impact, it will act as a shock absorber to help protect against a painful broken or dislocated jaw.
Mouthguards can also be custom made to wear at night if you are susceptible to clenching or grinding your teeth (bruxism). A mouthguard will not cure your bruxism, but if you have come to your St Martins Dental & Implant Clinic dentist for guidance and advice on teeth grinding, they may offer a mouthguard as a method to provide relief from the pressure and the sound while you explore the causes. The application of a mouthguard will even out the pressure across your jaw as well as provide a barrier between your bottom and top teeth. The soft material means that it reduces wear on your teeth and also helps to diminish the grinding sound.
You may also require a mouthguard for some teeth whitening treatments.