Protect your Smile Why you Should wear a Mouthguard when Playing Sports

Whether it be shooting goals on the field, throwing punches in a ring or shielding points from a fling, protecting your smile can be as easy as popping on your mouthguard. Many sports are more physical than they appear. While helmets and padding are often worn, mouthguards are frequently overlooked — yet they’re just as essential in reducing and preventing serious injuries. From knocked out teeth, jaw fractures and a concussion, these split-second collisions can be painful, costly, and sometimes even irreversible.  

 In Australia, around 89% of people aged 15 and over participate in at least one sport or physical activity per year. Within that group, going to the gym, playing soccer, basketball and netball were the most popular sports – all with potentials to harm your teeth. According to a 2022 survey from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, a quarter of people participating in outdoor team sports were injured, with the most common injured areas being the head and face. We understand wearing a mouthguard can be quite uncomfortable, breathing isn’t as easy as without one, but these injuries can be as minor as a cut on your lip and can be preserved with a mouthguard, so let’s get into the benefits.

Protecting your Teeth: for Athletes and Casuals Sport Players

Just as you’d expect, wearing a mouthguard can help protect the state of your teeth and reduces the chances of your teeth getting chipped, cracked or knocked out. Depending on the types of cracks, you may be lucky enough to not require any treatment, but unfortunately for others, those larger cracks may require fillings, crowns and potential tooth loss if it can’t be saved. A mouthguard can also help greatly in absorbing and distributing the force to your face, it minimises not only the risk done to your teeth but also your gums and cheeks. Some studies suggest that wearing your mouthguard can reduce the risk of concussions by absorbing and dispersing impact forces, especially in contact sports. Earlier, we mentioned the rates of incidences and how common head and face injuries were for our little athletes. Accidents happen, a stray elbow to the face, a sudden trip and a flying ball can cause serious damage. So, avoid costly damages to your smile and wear a mouthguard. 

Clenching During Weightlifting: A Hidden Risk

If you’ve been to the dentist recently and was informed that you may be clenching or grinding your teeth, and you aren’t doing it throughout the day or at night, chances are, it could be happening when you’re lifting heavy weights. For people who go to the gym regularly within the last 5 years and lift heavily, research shows that compared to non-exercises, there was a higher prevalence of teeth clenching habits and significant differences in biting force and degree of cracks. It’s a subconscious and involuntary response often as a result to physical exertion, especially during high-intensity or resistance-based activities like weightlifting. We want you to perform at your best — without worrying about subconscious clenching. If you suspect clenching while lifting, let us know, we can create a custom mouthguard just for you. Many studies suggest that when wearing an appropriate mouthguard, athletes perform optimally and more comfortably, knowing that their teeth are safe guarded.

Types of Mouthguards 

Protecting your smile can be difficult, especially when there are several mouthguards you can choose from, all ranging from different costs, fits, and comfort. We’ve done the research for you to keep it simple and easy to choose from. 

• Stock Standard Mouthguards  

1. • These mouthguards come in different sizes for both adults and kids, made to the standard mouth shape and can’t be moulded.  
   • Cheapest option and always readily available in supermarkets and chemists 
   • Due to the inability to mould, can be uncomfortable, bulky, and may not fit in your mouth. 

• Boil and Bite 

• • Similar to a stock, standard mouthguard, these can be moulded when placed in boiling hot water  
  • Similar pricing to the stock but a bit more expensive 
  • Better fit and comfortability than the stock 

• Custom  

• • A mouthguard custom made and fitted to your mouth by a dental professional, either through an impression or digital scan of your teeth 
  • Most expensive, requires time for our lab to create  
  • Best fitting, most comfortable, and offers the best protection to your teeth 

It’s important that once you have your mouthguard, you wear it. We understand it can be uncomfortable at times, breathing can be a bit more difficult, but the more wear in the mouth guard, the more comfortable it will feel. Having a custom-made mouthguard guarantees the best comfort, it’s made just for you after all, but if you would like to purchase the store-bought ones, having a mouthguard is better than none! 

If you’ve had a mouthguard before and found it thick and difficult to wear, let us know. If you would like a custom made one that feels thinner, we can place a special order in for you to have it made slightly thinner, with no reduced benefits of safeguarding your teeth.  

It’s a requirement for many sports organisations that when engaging with a physical contact sport, wearing a mouth guard is a must, so whether it be a custom made one, or one that you can get from the stores, wearing your mouthguard can save your smile. Many studies unanimously agree to the benefits of wearing a mouthguard, within sports that already require one, it was reported that the rate and severity of injuries dramatically decreased. We recommend you wear it anytime you engage in a physical sport, whether it be training sessions or game day, just to make sure no accidents happen. Your smile is one of your greatest assets — protect it every time you play. A small piece of plastic today can prevent lifelong dental problems tomorrow: 

Play smart. Play safe. Play with a Mouthguard. 

At True Smiles Dental, we firmly believe in prevention over treatment. We advocate for your dental and overall well-being always, and are committed to providing you with the tools, information and support necessary to keep your smile healthy, bright and protected. Wearing a mouthguard even when it feels uncomfortable can save you and your teeth unnecessary costs and damage. Your teeth never truly feel the same after you lose it. 

If you have any questions, concerns, or would like to have your custom mouth guard made for you, book an appointment with us today:  

📞 Call us on (02) 7228 7272 

🌐 Online at https://truesmilesdental.com.au/appointments 

📧 Email us on info@truesmilesdental.com.au 

Thank you for reading another one of our blogs, we hope you enjoyed your time and learnt something valuable. We’ll see you in the next issue!