Against Tooth Damage
Let’s face it; kids, sports, and the typical teenage sense of invulnerability make a pretty risky combination. Once a tooth is cracked, broken—or worse, knocked out—there’s no going back. It’s for keeps.
If your child is involved in any sports activity (even a pickup basketball game) a well-fitting mouthguard is the least expensive, most effective insurance you can have.
There are three general types of mouthguard:
- Stock or Pre-formed. Inexpensive, yes. But one-size-fits-all usually means one-size-fits-nobody. And the mouthguard that sits unused is doing no good.
- Boil-and-bite. Usually available at sporting good stores and with a better fit than stock guards. But if the preparation steps aren’t followed correctly, you may not get a good fit.
- Custom-fitted at a dental office. The Gold Standard. Developed from a cast model of the wearer’s mouth, the fit is more precise—and more comfortable—than the alternatives. Result: they’re far more likely to be worn by the student-athlete routinely.
And isn’t that the entire point of having a mouthguard?
