Custom Made Mouthguards
What is a mouthguard?
A mouthguard is a removable dental appliance used to protect your teeth from the destructive effects of clenching your jaw and grinding your teeth while you sleep. There are also mouthguards specially designed to protect the oral health of athletes.
While store-bought mouthguards are an option, custom-made mouth guards that fit properly are required to be truly effective. Providing custom mouthguards for sport and nighttime use, Milltown Dental is an Authorized Provider of Under Armour (UA) Performance Mouth-wear.
Are custom mouth guards affordable?
Custom mouth guards are often covered by insurance. When you order through Milltown Dental, there is no third party mark-up. We also offer a more affordable option where we can customize them in-office; this is an option we typically recommend to children, since they’ll outgrow their mouthguard and need a replacement more often than adults.
Who can use mouthguards?
Only adults and children ages 8 and older are candidates for UA appliances.
Why use a night guard?
We will recommend a night guard if you tend to grind or clench your teeth. Although grinding and clenching may seem harmless, they both put pressure on your jaw, which can cause temporomandibular joint (TMJ) problems, severe headaches, ear pain, and neck pain. Grinding and clenching can also cause excessive wear to your teeth.
Through a consultation, we’ll be able to determine if an appliance is required. Signs that you may need a mouthguard include signs of wear on your teeth, or if you are experiencing pain in your jaw, head, neck or ears.
Why use a sports guard?
Did you know that nearly one-third of all injuries treated by dentists are sports related? When participating in contact sports, athletes are at risk of suffering injuries that can severely damage their teeth. The possibility of serious lacerations is even worse if you have braces.
A sports guard will offer protection to your lips, cheeks, gums, tongue, teeth and jaw bones. We recommend all children wear protective mouthwear when participating in sports, or other types of physical activity like biking and skateboarding.
Sports guards are recommended for those participating in any of the following sports:
- Football
- Ice Hockey
- Lacrosse
- Boxing
- Martial Arts
- Snowboarding
- Volleyball
- Softball
- Golf
- Wrestling
- Field Hockey
- Rugby
- Basketball
- Soccer
- Running
- Swimming
- Weight Lifting
- Yoga
- Baseball
- Cycling
- Gymnastics
- Inline Skating
- Skiing
- Pilates
- Tennis
- Bowling
- Shooting
What are the benefits of UA sports guards?
There are many benefits to using UA sports guards, including:
- Increased Strength: It has been proven to increase strength by an average of 17% with the UA Performance Mouthpiece and 12% with the UA Performance Mouthguard.
- Increased Endurance: They enlarge airway openings, resulting in 25% less lactic acid build-up after 30 minutes of intense exercises.
- Reduced Athletic Stress: Excess cortisol causes stress, fatigue and distraction. UA Performance Mouthwear decreases cortisol production, which means you feel and play better.
- Reduces Risk of Concussion: A sports guard can help reduce the risk of concussions by helping to buffer forces delivered to the jaw bones.
- Improved Performance: In many cases, athletes perform better when wearing a sports guard since they feel more confident and less fearful of injury. They might also respond faster to auditory cues and visual cues according to clinical trials.
How are mouthguards customized?
Customized mouthguards are made with the assistance of Dr. Boudreault. First, we provide a consultation to determine if a mouth guard is a suitable option. We will also determine the type of mouth guard recommended whether it is for night use, contact or non-contact sports. We will then book two appointments to create your mouth guard.
During the first appointment, we’ll create an impression of your teeth which will be sent to the lab where the mouth guard will be crafted. Custom orders typically take about 10 days for delivery. Once the guard is ready, we will call you to try on your new appliance, and ensure it fits perfectly.
To set up an appointment for a custom fitting or for more information, please give us a call at 905-878-8528 or contact us here.