Ask any pediatric dentist what injury they wish they saw less of, and the answer is a chipped or knocked-out front tooth from a sport where nobody expected contact. Basketball, not football, is one of the most common culprits, because helmets and pads are absent and elbows are everywhere.
A mouthguard is a small piece of equipment that prevents an expensive, upsetting problem. Here is how to decide what your child needs.
Which Sports Warrant a Guard
Any activity where a ball, a stick, a knee, or the ground can reach the mouth:
- Basketball, soccer, and lacrosse, where collisions are incidental but frequent
- Football, hockey, wrestling, and martial arts
- Baseball and softball, especially for infielders and catchers
- Skateboarding, mountain biking, and scootering, where falls come without warning
- Gymnastics and cheer, where hard landings happen
Swimming and running do not need one. Almost everything else benefits.
What a Mouthguard Actually Prevents
A guard cushions and spreads the force of a blow. In practical terms it reduces chipped and fractured teeth, teeth knocked completely out, cuts to the lips and cheeks from teeth, and damage to braces and appliances.
It is worth being precise here: a mouthguard is not a concussion-prevention device, and no dentist should sell it as one. What it reliably protects is teeth and soft tissue, which is plenty of reason to wear one.
Boil-and-Bite Versus a Custom Guard
Store-bought boil-and-bite guards cost very little and are far better than nothing. Their weakness is fit. A guard that is bulky, that makes speech difficult, or that the child chews out of shape stops getting worn, and the guard in the gym bag protects nothing.
A custom guard is made from a mold of your child’s teeth. It is thinner where it can be, thicker where impact lands, and it stays put without being clenched. Children tolerate them better, which is really the whole point.
For a child in braces, fit matters even more. Talk with us before buying anything off the shelf, because a guard has to accommodate brackets and the movement happening behind them.
Getting Kids to Actually Wear It
- Fit it early in the season so it becomes part of the uniform, not a mid-season imposition.
- Rinse after every use and store it in a vented case, never in a hot car.
- Never share guards between siblings.
- Replace it when it tears, thins out, or when the mouth changes as new teeth come in. Growing children often need a new one each year.
- Bring it to regular dental visits so we can check the fit against a mouth that is still changing.
If an Injury Happens Anyway
Guards reduce injuries; they do not eliminate them. Two situations are worth memorizing.
A knocked-out permanent tooth is a true emergency, and the first thirty to sixty minutes matter enormously. Handle the tooth by the crown, not the root, rinse it gently with water or milk, and either reinsert it or keep it in milk while you call us. Our step-by-step guide, what to do if your child knocks out a tooth, is worth reading before you need it.
A chipped tooth is less urgent but still deserves a same-week look, because a fracture that reaches dentin can become sensitive or infected weeks later.
Where to Start
If your child plays anything with a ball or a board, ask us about a mouthguard at the next visit. We can take an impression in a few minutes, and it will fit far better than anything you can boil at home.
You can learn more about preventive care at our practice or see the full range of services we offer. Ready to get one made? Contact our Fairhope office.
How a Custom Guard Gets Made
The process is short and there is nothing uncomfortable about it. We take an impression or a digital scan of your child’s teeth, choose a thickness based on the sport, and the guard comes back from the lab shaped to their bite. We fit it in a second short visit, trim anywhere it presses, and check that your child can speak and breathe easily with it in.
If your child gags easily with impressions, tell us. A scan avoids the tray entirely.
Caring for the Guard
- Rinse with cool water after every practice, and brush it lightly with a toothbrush
- Air-dry before storing, and always use a vented case
- Keep it out of hot cars and off radiators, since heat warps it permanently
- Check it monthly for tears and thin spots
- Bring it to dental visits so we can confirm it still fits the current set of teeth
Expect to replace a growing child’s guard roughly once a year, and sooner during the years when permanent teeth are erupting.
What About Braces and Appliances
Children in braces need a guard designed to fit over brackets, with enough room that a blow does not drive metal into the lip. An ill-fitting store guard can be worse than none at all here. If your child is in treatment, we coordinate with their orthodontist on the design.
Children wearing a retainer or expander should never use it as a mouthguard, and should not wear it during contact sports unless specifically told to.
Injuries We See and What They Cost
The most common sports injuries to teeth are chipped front teeth, fractures that reach the nerve, and complete avulsion of a permanent front tooth. A chip may need bonding today and a crown years later. A knocked-out permanent tooth can require replanting, a root canal, and eventually an implant in adulthood.
Set against that, a custom mouthguard is inexpensive and lasts a season or more. It is one of the few pieces of sports equipment with a genuinely lopsided cost-benefit case.
Questions Parents Ask
Does my child need one for practice too? Yes. Injuries happen at practice as often as in games.
Upper only or upper and lower? Upper is standard. Lower guards are occasionally used for specific sports or appliances.
Can they talk with it in? With a properly fitted guard, yes, well enough to call plays.
Ask us at your next exam and we can get one started that day.
