Mouthguards are oral appliances worn over the teeth to protect them from injury from sporting activity and teeth grinding. Children are often involved in activities like playing and injuring themselves in their mouths. Instead of allowing your children to have impacted teeth needing treatments from dentists, you find it beneficial to provide them mouthguards as protective devices.

 

When selecting mouthguards for your kid, you might confront challenges in deciding which mouthguards are optimal for them. Therefore you must choose with care after consulting the pediatric dentist near you to determine which mouthguards are best suited for your child.

 

You can expect the pediatric dentist to recommend custom mouthguards near you as the best option for your child’s teeth. However, you might differ from the dentist’s view and decide to research options to purchase the most affordable mouthguard for your child.

 

Why Shouldn’t You Consider Costing When Purchasing Mouthguards?

 

If you intend to invest in mouthguards to safeguard your child’s teeth and oral cavity, you mustn’t compromise on the quality of the appliance you seek. You can either have a dental device customized for your child’s mouth or consider purchasing over-the-counter appliances that are cheaper but don’t offer adequate protection. In addition, over-the-counter appliances wear down faster than customized mouthguards.

 

Comparing Custom Mouthguards Vs. Store Brought Appliances

 

You can find three types of mouthguards on the market which include stock mouth protectors, boil and bite mouthguards, and custom mouthguards in Houston personalized for your child. Let us compare the differences between the three to help you make an informed decision to benefit your child.

 

Stock Mouthguards: These dental appliances are available over-the-counter, are most affordable, and can be purchased from sports goods stores, convenience stores, and online. Unfortunately, they are generic and do not offer adequate protection.

 

Generic mouthguards are bulky, make breathing and talking challenging, and provide little or no protection. In addition, you cannot adjust their fit, leaving your child exposed to injuries despite having a protective device on their teeth.

 

Boil and Bite Mouthguards: You can purchase boil and bite mouthguards from sports goods stores or online because they offer a better fit than stock mouthguards. Thermoplastic material helps make these mouthguards that require hot water placement to soften the material. After the material softens, the mouthguard requires placement in the mouth and shaped around the teeth using your fingers or tongue pressure.

 

While boil and bite mouthguards are customizable to your child’s mouth and affordable, they are not suitable for injuries your child may incur during sporting activity.

 

Custom-Made Mouthguards: Customized mouthguards individually created in a dental office or laboratories according to prescriptions provided by dentists offer the best protection to ensure your child adequately protects themselves from injuries to the mouth when playing.

 

Your dentist takes impressions of your child’s teeth to have a mouthguard molded with the image using unique material. The use of special material and the additional work involved makes customized mouthguards the most expensive than other varieties. However, the appliance also provides appropriate fit and comfort.

 

Generally, store-bought mouthguards protect your upper teeth. However, if you wear braces on your lower jaw, your dentist can make a mouthguard for the lower teeth.

 

Dentists are experienced in dental appliances and can suggest the best mouthguard for your child. An effective mouthguard must offer comfort without restricting breathing or speaking, be easy to clean, and resist tears. Mouthguards are also helpful if you grind and clench your teeth when sleeping. However, you cannot rely on store-bought mouthguards for such issues and must get custom mouthguards available from dentists nearby to prevent tooth damage.

 

Who Needs Mouthguards?

 

Everyone can use mouthguards regardless of whether they are adults or children. Anyone involved in contact sports like football, boxing, soccer, ice hockey, basketball, lacrosse, and field hockey benefits from having a custom mouthguard over their teeth. Some sporting activities are also noncontact but may pose a risk of injury to the mouth. For example, gymnastics and cycling, besides skateboarding, can result in fall accidents that might injure the teeth. Therefore anyone involved in sporting activities can consider wearing mouthguards to limit the risk of mouth-related injuries to the lips, tongue, and soft tissue of the mouth besides knocking out teeth.

 

Children are generally involved in playful activities where they can sustain injuries to their teeth and soft tissues. In addition, they might sustain severe damage to their mouths when having an ill-fitting mouthguard. Therefore they benefit better if you provide them with a custom mouthguard personalized for them by a pediatric dentist Houston TX.

 

Urbach Pediatric Dentistry provides custom mouthguards in Houston for children. If you are worried about your child’s dental wellness, kindly contact this practice to offer them a custom-made mouthguard for use.