The number 1 reason most patients don’t get their sports mouth guards from their dentist is because they have no idea that their dentist fits mouth guards. From the dawn of time, young athletes have accompanied a parent to the sporting goods store to return home with a cumbersome mouth guard that they then attempt to fit over a boiling pot of water. There was no other option until recently.
Through remarkable advancements in sports mouth guard technology, dentists can scan, order, and fit guards for their patients. No matter the sport being played, a custom-fit mouthguard provided by a dentist makes the endeavor so much safer, particularly for younger athletes.
Read on to see how you can incorporate sports mouth guards into your practice, how they are more beneficial to your patients, and what the digital dental workflow looks like for sports guards.
What are sports mouth guards?
Sports mouth guards, also known as simply sports guards, mouth protectors, or athletic mouth guards, are protective devices worn over the teeth during sports activities. They act as a cushion to absorb impact and shield your patient’s teeth, lips, and tongue from potential injuries. Wearing a custom sports guard protects athletes from more than just chipping or losing teeth; they can also prevent soft tissue injuries within the mouth as well as absorb shock to help prevent jaw injuries. The medical benefits are obvious, but the mental benefit of mouth guards for athletes can’t be overlooked as the layer of protection adds a little ease of mind during the heat of competition.
Athletes in all sports can benefit from wearing a sports mouth guard, not just those who play high-contact sports like hockey or football. One of the most prominent proponents of mouth guards has been Steph Curry of the Golden State Warriors. The All-Star guard chewing on his mouth guard is one of the more enduring images fans have of Curry, not unlike Michael Jordan sticking out his tongue during dunks. Curry’s mouthguard has even been the subject of controversy—he’s been ejected at least three times for tossing it in disgust. While we’re sure his dentist (and coach) would prefer if Curry kept the dental guard in his mouth—and please stop chewing on it—he’s popularizing the protective gear with younger athletes who want to be just like their idols.
Boil and bite sports mouth guards
For years, boil and bite mouth guards have been the overwhelming standard in the industry as a popular and convenient option for protecting your teeth during sports activities. As the name suggests, they’re made from a thermoplastic material that softens when heated in hot water. This allows the athlete or a helper to mold the guard to their own dentition for a tight fit. These guards are available at most sporting goods stores, are one-size-fits-all (they need to be cut to fit smaller mouths), and are relatively cheap when compared to custom-fit mouth guards available at dental practices.
While boil and bite mouth guards are affordable and convenient, they are not as precise as custom-fit sports guards nor are they as durable. They are a particularly poor option for people with braces or uneven teeth. These guards are certainly better than nothing, but the protection offered by a dentist-custom-fit mouth guard is far greater.
Thermoformed sports guards
The integration of digital patient impression-making and thermoforming technology has entered into the realm of sports guards. This fusion has not only revolutionized the way dentists offer these protective mouthpieces but has also made them a more accessible and appealing option for athletes of all levels.
Digital impression-making systems, such as intraoral scanners, capture precise 3D models of a patient’s mouth. This eliminates the need for gooey impression materials, making the process far more pleasant and efficient for both the dentist and the patient.
Once the digital model is acquired, thermoforming technology comes into play. The model is used to create a custom mold, which is then heated and vacuum-formed around a high-quality material. This results in a perfectly fitting, comfortable, and highly protective sports guard tailor-made for the individual athlete’s mouth.
Thermoformed sports guard material
Laminated ethyl vinyl acetate, often shortened to EVA, is a versatile material made by combining ethylene and vinyl acetate monomers. Its properties can be tweaked by adjusting the ratio of these components, making it suitable for various applications. In the context of sports mouth guards, it plays a crucial role in offering protection and comfort. By layering the material it’s possible to create a guard that is durable, comfortable and safe.
Why dentist-fitted sports mouth guards are superior to boil and bite mouth guards
Simply put, boil and bite mouth guards are useful for athletes, but in almost every regard a dentist-fitted sports guard is superior. The advances in technology combined with the benefits of having a guard produced under a dentist’s supervision simply leads to a superior product for the following reasons.
- The main benefit of boil-and-bite mouth guards—the ease with which they can be purchased and fit at home—is also their greatest flaw. The margin for error is enormous when the patient is fitting themselves, leading to a mouth guard that can be both ineffective and uncomfortable. It is far better to have a dental professional involved in the process.
- A dentist can make sure the patient is giving their true bite. People get self-conscious and tend to overthink it when biting into a boil-and-bite mouth guard. This can lead to an inaccurate mold. Under a dentist’s supervision, a patient can be coached to bite naturally, leading to far better results with the sports guard.
- If a patient has a misaligned bite, a dentist’s supervision can help ensure that the mouth guard accurately reflects this, something that a patient would likely not address with a boil and bite guard.
- Laminated ethyl vinyl acetate is a stronger material than the thin and brittle plastic used in many over-the-counter boil-and-bite mouth guards.
- Replacements are simple. With a digital scan already on the files, there is no need to rescan when it’s time for the patient to order a new mouth guard. Nor is there the hope that a patient will get the correct fit by undergoing the boil and bite process again.
- Store-bought mouth guards are not intended for athletes who are missing teeth or who have braces. A customized fit taken by a dental progressional will always be safer for the patient.
- Boil and bite mouth guards can have sharp corners, ride too high in the mouth, and pop out more easily during play.
Discussing sports mouth guards with patients
When talking to your patients about sports mouth guards, and as covered above you need to introduce them to this service, the educational aspect is paramount. Talking points that put the two types of mouth guards into perspective are:
“When you are shopping for a fancy dress or a suit, do you measure yourself at home with a rope and a yardstick or do you go to a tailor?”
“Think of this as a piece of sports equipment, do you buy the cheapest or look for the best performer for the right value?”
The digital workflow for sports mouth guards with Dandy
The digital workflow for producing sports dental guards with Dandy couldn’t be simpler. All you need to do is scan the patient as you would for a night guard, select “sports guard” within the Dandy portal, select from an array of colors, and hit submit. That’s it.
The process is even easier if you have recently scanned for a restorative and want to update the patient’s sports guard for the new landscape of their mouth. Simply add on a sports guard from the Dandy Chairside portal.
If you are not currently working with Dandy but are looking to add digital dental offerings such as sports guards to your practice, contact us today and we can walk you through our full product guide.
