The American Dental Association recommends that athletes participating in contact sports be fitted for a custom mouth guard. Many athletes find that off-the-shelf mouth guards are uncomfortable. This is even more common for athletes with braces. As a result, they tend to wear them less often or they might not use one at all.
This tends to encourage athletes and the parents of athletes to make the investment in a custom-fitted mouth guard.
Whether you have a vacuum-fitted or the durable, pressure-laminated mouth guard, you will still need to maintain it on a regular basis to prolong its life.
When you’re done wearing the mouth guard, you should brush your teeth with a soft-bristled brush and fluoride toothpaste. Then rinse the mouth guard thoroughly under cool or lukewarm water.
You should avoid rinsing or soaking the mouth guard in hot water or leaving it out in the sun. Heat can affect a mouth guard’s thermoplastic material and cause minor deformations in the custom fit.
When storing or transporting the mouth guard, be sure to keep it in a case with vents.
Be sure to check the mouth guard regularly for signs of wear and tear. Some contact sports that don’t require helmets or that involve repeated blows to the face, such as boxing, can shorten the mouth guard’s overall lifespan.
If you have any questions about how to maintain your custom mouth guard, please feel free to call us at 919-489-9171 to schedule an appointment.