If you are an active person who enjoys sports and the outdoors, you should consider wearing a mouthguard for braces while playing sports.
In order to protect your beautiful smile, a mouthguard for braces is certainly something that you want to take into consideration before engaging in a physical activity while wearing braces.
This article will explore the idea of sports and braces to help you determine how to play safely.
How Can I Protect my Smile While Playing Sports?
This article takes a look at the best way to protect your mouth when playing sports and why it is so important to use protection.
Protection
So, that’s some pretty exciting news! You do not have to sacrifice one of your favorite hobbies in order to keep working on building a perfect smile. Do keep in mind that there are precautions that you need to consider first in order to eliminate the possible risks while playing sports with braces.
Why is Protection Important?
Protecting your smile when you are engaging in rigorous physical activities is imperative. You do not need to give up your hobby. You just need to be prepared to take a few extra steps to keep all of your hard work safe.
How Do I Protect My Smile?
For those who want to continue playing sports while wearing braces, orthodontists everywhere recommend that players use what is called an orthodontic mouthguard or a mouthguard for braces to protect against oral injuries. By wearing one of these, any contact sport is still okay to play.
Without this guard, though, even light contact sports pose a risk of a ball hitting your teeth and hurting the braces. This means whatever sport you enjoy playing, you should play it with a mouthguard for braces.
How a Mouthguard for Braces is Different from a Standard Mouthguard
An mouthguard for braces is created out of silicone which is used to cushion your lips and stop them from hitting your teeth. This also serves to protect the brackets while softening the blow from any sort of contact that could damage your braces. Generally, a mouthguard for braces is:
- Larger than typical mouthguards to accommodate the brackets
- More comfortable than typical mouthguards
- Provides better support and cushion against contact
- Has large rubber flanges that go under lips to stop them from pushing into the brackets of the braces lessening chances of swelling and getting caught in the brackets.
Traditional mouthguards are made out of a hard plastic. If your mouth comes in contact with something while wearing this, it might require an emergency visit to the orthodontist. Reasons you should not wear a standard mouthguard while having braces include:
- It probably will not fit your mouth
- You are more susceptible to damage
- There will be extra office visits to repair damage
- You will add extra time added to your treatment plan
- In some cases, there could be irreversible damage
What About Boil-and-Bite Mouthguards?
Boil-and-bite mouthguards are popular alternatives to plastic ones. They are fast, cost-effective, and will give you a custom feel. But are they feasible if you wear braces? Sadly, while this type of guard might fit initially, after your teeth start to move, the mouthguard will no longer work for you. It is best to stick to a mouthguard for braces for this reason.
You can find an orthodontic mouthguard for braces at any sporting goods store. You can also ask your orthodontist to order one for you! It’s an easy way to prevent terrible things from potentially happening, so be sure to get one before you step out onto the field next time.
That beautiful smile doesn’t mean you have to give up a favorite hobby or pastime in the process. So long as you use an orthodontic mouthguard for braces instead of a plastic or boil-and-bite alternative, your teeth and gums will be protected from the potential damages of contact sports or even light sports like baseball.
Do you have any experience with an orthodontic mouthguard for braces? Did you have to find out the hard way why it is important to wear such a device? Do you still have questions regarding an orthodontic mouthguard for braces? Share your stories and questions in the “Comments” section!
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