Sports Mouth Guards

As soon as your child takes up a contact or collision sport, even at the youth level. Young athletes are just as prone to a stray elbow, ball, or fall as older ones, and a dental injury at that age can damage both baby and permanent teeth, sometimes affecting the adult teeth still forming underneath.

A custom sports mouth guard gives the best fit and the best protection as your child's smile develops, and because it is made to their exact mouth it stays comfortable and in place better than a bulky store-bought version a child is tempted to remove. Drs. Brammeier and Ericson make guards for all ages and can refit or replace them as your child grows.

Yes, and wearing a sports mouth guard matters even more when you have braces. On impact, metal brackets and wires can cut the lips and cheeks, and a blow to the mouth can also damage the braces themselves, setting your orthodontic treatment back.

We make guards specifically designed to fit over braces, cushioning both the appliance and the soft tissues while leaving room for your teeth to keep moving. Because the bite changes throughout orthodontic treatment, we will check the fit over time and adjust or remake the guard as needed so it keeps protecting you all season long.

With proper care, most custom sports mouth guards last one to three seasons, depending on the sport, how often it is worn, and the athlete's age and jaw growth. Adults who take good care of a guard can get years out of it, while children and teenagers usually need replacements more often as their mouths grow and permanent teeth come in.

Beyond the calendar, replace any guard that cracks, tears, thins out, or no longer fits securely, since a worn guard cannot absorb impact the way it should. Bringing your guard to regular checkups lets us inspect it for wear and fit and let you know when it is time for a new one.

Often, yes. The American Dental Association recommends a sports mouth guard for any activity where collision or impact is possible, and that list is longer than most people expect: gymnastics, skateboarding, mountain biking, and martial arts all make it, alongside the obvious contact sports.

The point is that non-contact does not mean no-impact. A fall from a skateboard, a wipeout on a bike, or a hard landing off the balance beam can knock out a tooth just as easily as a tackle. If your sport carries any risk of a blow to the face, a guard is cheap protection against an expensive injury.

Yes, and they are not interchangeable. A sports mouth guard is thicker and built to absorb sudden external impact, cushioning a blow so the force spreads across all the teeth instead of cracking one. A night guard is thinner and designed for a completely different job: separating the teeth and distributing the steady grinding and clenching forces of bruxism during sleep.

Because each is engineered for its own kind of force, using one in place of the other leaves you underprotected. A night guard would not hold up to a collision, and a bulky sports guard is not made for all-night wear. If you both play sports and grind your teeth, you will want one of each. Learn more about custom night guards.

Some dental plans do cover a custom sports mouth guard, particularly for minors, though coverage varies quite a bit from one plan to the next. It is always worth checking, since a professionally made guard is often more affordable than families expect.

Before we make your guard, our team at our Lisle office will review your benefits and give you a clear cost estimate, so you know exactly what to expect. Whatever your coverage, a custom guard remains one of the least expensive ways to protect a smile, far cheaper than repairing or replacing a tooth after an injury.