Mouthguards

At Austgen Family Dental, Greenwood, IN

Mouthguards are dental appliances that help protect your teeth, tongue, gums, and cheeks from trauma caused by teeth grinding or sports injuries. It helps to reduce the risk of broken teeth and injuries to your lips, tongue, face, or jaw and cushion the face against any blows. They usually cover the upper teeth and offer a perfect solution to protect the soft tissues of your tongue, lips, and cheek lining.

What Are the Various Types of Mouthguards?

There are two main types of mouthguards. One is manufactured to ensure protection for the teeth from sports trauma or other athletic activities; while the second type is made for patients with bruxism or teeth grinding. These mouth appliances are made for different purposes and thus will look and feel different. The different subtypes of mouthguards include:

Customized mouthguards

For this type of mouthguard, the dentist will first take an impression of your teeth to fabricate a customized mouthguard that fits comfortably on your teeth and mouth. The cost of customized mouthguards is considerably more than the ready-made ones, but they help provide the best fit and protection. A custom mouthguard will be made precisely for your needs, whether to offer protection from trauma during athletic competition or for use at night if you have a teeth-grinding habit. A customized mouthguard prepared by your dentist does the best job of protecting your teeth and mouth.

Boil-and-bite mouthguards

These mouthguards are composed of a thermoplastic material that can be shaped at home to fit your teeth. The mouthguard has to be softened by placing it in hot water. The softened mouthguard should be put inside the mouth and pressed onto the molars and front teeth with your fingers. If you feel the mouthguard is in the correct position, you bite down for about 20 seconds. Then the device can be removed and rinsed in running cold water. These steps can be repeated to reshape the mouthguard for the best fit. Modifiable over-the-counter mouthguards: It includes sliding pieces that rest between your teeth while you sleep.

Ready-to-wear mouthguards

These one-size-fits-all mouthguards are pre-fabricated and ready to wear. They rarely fit well since they are not made, especially for your teeth. Breathing can become difficult due to their bulkiness and poor fit. Among these mouthguards, the one that offers the least protection is the stock mouthguard.

What Are the Benefits of Wearing a Mouthguard?

The replacement and repairing of missing teeth can be a costly and painful situation. Thus wearing a mouthguard during athletic activities can help you avoid chipped or lost teeth, nerve damage to a tooth, or soft-tissue injuries to lips, gums, tongue, and inside cheeks.

At Austgen Family Dental, we are committed to providing top-quality dental care for patients of all ages. Call us today at (317) 885-6400 to learn more about mouthguards or schedule your appointment online.

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Austgen Family Dental

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Kathy T.

Dr. Austgen and her staff are attentive, caring, and excellent at what they do. Whether it’s a dental cleaning or dental work, they make sure you are comfortable and understand the process. They have especially helped me deal with my anxiety about dental work in a compassionate way. 100% recommend!

Susan W.

Claire did a great job cleaning my teeth today!. I always have great results when go to Austgen Dental. The staff is always professional and pleasant. They make sure you know what you’ll be billed prior to your exam. If you are looking for a Dentist I would highly recommend you go to Austgen Family Dental.

Heather T.

Love this dental office! Everyone is wonderful, caring and friendly. I always receive amazing care from the front desk to the techs to the dentist. Recommend 10/10!!

James S.

Always a friendly greeting when you come through the door. Appointment times are respected and the service is excellent. The best dental office in Greenwood!