Custom Sports Mouthguards in Kitchener
A sports mouthguard is designed to help protect the teeth, lips, cheeks and other oral tissues from injury during athletic and recreational activities.
At MI Dental in Kitchener, we provide custom sports mouthguards, also called athletic mouthguards, for children, teens and adults whose activities place them at risk of dental trauma.
A custom mouthguard is made specifically for the individual athlete’s teeth and bite rather than being supplied in a predetermined size. The goal is simple: create a mouthguard that fits securely, is comfortable enough to wear consistently and provides appropriate protection during the activity for which it was made.
Properly fitted mouthguards have been shown to reduce the incidence and severity of sports-related dental and orofacial injuries.
Who Should Wear a Sports Mouthguard?
Mouthguards are most strongly associated with sports such as hockey, football, boxing and martial arts, but dental injuries are not limited to traditional collision sports.
A mouthguard may be worth considering whenever an activity creates a meaningful risk of:
- Contact with another player
- Being struck by a ball, puck, stick or other equipment
- Falling onto a hard surface
- Impact to the face or jaw
The ADA recommends properly fitted mouthguards for activities with a significant risk of dental or orofacial injury and includes sports such as hockey, basketball, soccer, football, lacrosse, martial arts, baseball, skiing, skateboarding, gymnastics and cycling among activities where protection may be appropriate.
At MI Dental, we consider the sport, level of contact, age, dental development and individual injury risk rather than assuming that every athlete requires exactly the same appliance.
What Can a Sports Mouthguard Protect?
A properly fitted mouthguard can help reduce the risk and severity of injuries involving:
- Fractured or chipped teeth
- Displaced teeth
- Knocked-out teeth
- Cuts to the lips and cheeks
- Trauma to the supporting tissues around the teeth
Research consistently supports mouthguards for reducing dental and orofacial trauma during sports.
That is the purpose for which we recommend them.
Do Mouthguards Prevent Concussions?
This deserves a clear answer.
A sports mouthguard should not be presented as a concussion-prevention device.
Researchers have investigated whether mouthguards might reduce concussion risk by modifying forces transmitted through the jaw, but the evidence remains mixed and inconsistent. The established reason for wearing a mouthguard is protection against dental and orofacial injury.
Athletes should continue to follow the appropriate helmet, face protection, concussion protocol and safety requirements for their sport.
Custom vs Boil-and-Bite vs Stock Mouthguards
There are three broad types of athletic mouthguards.
Custom Sports Mouthguards
A custom mouthguard is made from an impression or digital record of the athlete’s teeth and fabricated to fit that individual mouth.
Its principal advantages can include:
- Accurate adaptation to the teeth
- Better retention
- Greater control over thickness and extension
- Less need to clench the teeth simply to keep it in position
- The ability to account for an individual’s dental anatomy
A well-fitting appliance is also more likely to be worn consistently—which is critically important because a mouthguard cannot protect an athlete while sitting in a gym bag.
Boil-and-Bite Mouthguards
Boil-and-bite guards are softened in hot water and then adapted around the teeth.
A properly fitted boil-and-bite mouthguard can still provide useful protection. In fact, current ADA guidance does not say that every athlete must have a custom appliance; properly adapted over-the-counter mouthguards can be reasonable options for some individuals.
For many recreational athletes, this may be perfectly appropriate.
Stock Mouthguards
Stock mouthguards come in predetermined sizes and are not individually adapted to the teeth.
Because retention and fit may be limited, they may require the athlete to keep the teeth together to hold the appliance in position. The ADA considers stock appliances the least effective of the major mouthguard categories because of their generic fit and inadequate retention.
Why Choose a Custom Athletic Mouthguard?
The argument for a custom mouthguard is not that every store-bought mouthguard is useless.
The advantage is individualization.
A custom appliance can be designed around:
- Your tooth positions
- Your bite
- The shape of your dental arch
- Missing or partially erupted teeth
- Existing restorations
- The type of sport
- The athlete’s age and dental development
An ideal sports mouthguard should fit securely, remain comfortable, provide appropriate coverage and allow the athlete to breathe and communicate reasonably well while wearing it. ADA guidance similarly emphasizes fit, retention and adequate resilient coverage of the dental arch at greatest risk, usually the upper arch.
How We Make a Custom Sports Mouthguard
The process is straightforward.
1. We Examine the Teeth and Bite
Before making the appliance, we look at the teeth, gums and bite and consider factors that could affect the design.
For younger athletes, this includes whether teeth are still erupting or whether the dentition is likely to change significantly.
2. We Record the Shape of the Teeth
An impression or a digital scan is used to reproduce the athlete’s dental arch accurately.
This allows the appliance to be fabricated for that individual rather than adjusted from a generic shape.
3. The Mouthguard Is Fabricated
The mouthguard is formed from resilient material and designed to cover and protect the appropriate teeth and supporting structures.
For most athletes, mouthguards are worn over the upper teeth, although the appropriate design can vary according to the individual situation. The maxillary arch is typically considered the arch at greatest risk of injury.
4. We Check the Fit
Once the mouthguard is ready, we evaluate its retention and comfort.
A good athletic mouthguard should generally stay in position without requiring continuous biting or clenching to prevent it from falling out.
Sports Mouthguards for Hockey
In Canada, hockey is naturally one of the most common reasons patients ask us about athletic mouthguards.
Even with helmets and facial protection, hockey can expose the mouth and jaw to impacts from:
- Other players
- Sticks
- Pucks
- Boards
- Falls and collisions
A properly fitted mouthguard provides an additional layer of protection for the teeth and surrounding oral tissues.
It does not replace a helmet, cage, visor or other safety equipment required for the player’s league and level of play.
Mouthguards for Basketball, Soccer and Other Sports
It is easy to think of mouthguards only in sports where helmets are already standard.
Dental injuries also occur in activities such as basketball and soccer where players can collide with one another even though the sport is not traditionally associated with facial protection.
The ADA notes that sports-related dental trauma occurs across collision, contact, limited-contact and high-velocity activities—not only football, hockey and boxing.
That is why the decision to use a mouthguard should be based on actual injury risk, not simply whether athletes in that sport traditionally wear one.
Sports Mouthguards for Children and Teenagers
Young athletes deserve special consideration because their mouths are still changing.
Children and adolescents may have:
- Newly erupted permanent teeth
- Teeth that are still erupting
- Mixed primary and permanent dentition
- Changing arch relationships
- Ongoing orthodontic treatment
- Rapid growth
For this reason, a mouthguard that fit well previously may no longer fit properly several months later.
AAPD encourages dentists to provide or prescribe mouthguard protection for young patients who are at increased risk of sports-related orofacial trauma.
Rather than promising that one mouthguard can simply be “adjusted as the child grows,” we prefer to reassess the fit periodically and replace the appliance when dental development makes that necessary.
Can You Wear a Sports Mouthguard With Braces?
Yes, but the appliance requires additional consideration.
Orthodontic treatment changes tooth position over time, so a mouthguard needs enough allowance for those changes while still providing useful protection.
The appropriate design depends on:
- The orthodontic appliance being worn
- Which arch is being treated
- The stage of treatment
- The sport
- How rapidly tooth positions are expected to change
Athletes wearing braces should also follow recommendations from their orthodontist regarding the type of protective appliance appropriate during treatment.
The AAPD specifically supports mouthguard use for young athletes at increased risk of orofacial injury and recognizes the importance of protection during orthodontic treatment.
How Should a Sports Mouthguard Fit?
A properly fitting mouthguard should:
- Stay securely in position
- Cover the intended teeth adequately
- Avoid sharp or uncomfortable edges
- Allow reasonable breathing
- Allow communication appropriate to the sport
- Feel stable without constant clenching
Fit matters for more than comfort.
If an athlete dislikes wearing the appliance because it feels bulky, falls out or makes breathing unnecessarily difficult, compliance usually suffers.
And ultimately:
The most protective mouthguard is one that fits properly and is actually worn.
That principle is emphasized in current ADA mouthguard guidance.
Caring for Your Athletic Mouthguard
After use:
- Rinse the mouthguard
- Gently clean it according to the instructions provided
- Allow it to dry
- Store it in a ventilated protective container
- Keep it away from excessive heat
- Inspect it periodically for tears, distortion or significant wear
Bring the mouthguard to routine dental appointments occasionally so its condition and fit can be assessed.
Do not chew on the appliance unnecessarily, since this can shorten its useful life.
When Should a Sports Mouthguard Be Replaced?
There is no universal replacement schedule.
A new mouthguard may be needed when:
- It no longer fits securely
- The material becomes torn or significantly worn
- The appliance becomes distorted
- New permanent teeth erupt
- Dental treatment changes the shape of the teeth
- Orthodontic treatment changes tooth positions
- The athlete experiences significant growth
- The mouthguard becomes uncomfortable
- It has sustained a significant impact and appears damaged
Growing athletes may require replacement more frequently than adults with stable dentitions.
What If a Tooth Is Knocked Out During Sports?
A mouthguard reduces risk; it cannot eliminate every dental injury.
If a permanent tooth is completely knocked out:
- Pick it up by the crown, not the root
- Avoid scrubbing or scraping the root
- If appropriate and possible, gently reposition it into the socket
- If it cannot be repositioned, keep it moist in an appropriate medium such as milk
- Seek urgent dental care immediately
Time matters considerably when attempting to save an avulsed permanent tooth.
A knocked-out baby tooth should not be replanted, because doing so can damage the developing permanent tooth beneath it.
For any significant sports-related dental injury, contact a dentist promptly.
Custom Sports Mouthguards at MI Dental in Kitchener
If you or your child participates in an activity where the teeth are at meaningful risk of impact, a properly fitted mouthguard is one of the simplest forms of preventive dental protection.
At MI Dental in Kitchener, we can assess the athlete’s teeth, bite, age and sport and determine whether a custom athletic mouthguard is appropriate.
Our objective is not to convince every athlete that only a dentist-made mouthguard will do.
It is to help you choose a mouthguard that provides appropriate protection, fits well and—most importantly—is comfortable enough that you will actually wear it.
Contact MI Dental if you would like to discuss a custom sports mouthguard in Kitchener.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a custom mouthguard better than a boil-and-bite mouthguard?
A custom mouthguard can offer advantages in individual fit, retention and comfort because it is made specifically for the athlete’s teeth. However, a properly fitted boil-and-bite mouthguard can also provide useful protection. The best option depends on the athlete, sport, budget, fit and likelihood that the appliance will actually be worn.
Do sports mouthguards prevent concussions?
Mouthguards are well established for reducing dental and orofacial injuries. Evidence regarding concussion prevention is much less consistent, so a mouthguard should not be promoted as a guaranteed method of preventing concussion.
Should children wear sports mouthguards?
Children participating in sports or recreational activities that place them at risk of dental trauma may benefit from a properly fitted mouthguard. Because children’s teeth and jaws are developing, fit should be reassessed as the mouth changes.
Can I wear a sports mouthguard with braces?
Yes. Athletes with orthodontic appliances can wear mouthguards, but the design must accommodate the braces and expected tooth movement. Your dentist and orthodontist can help determine an appropriate option.
Are mouthguards only for hockey and football?
No. Dental trauma also occurs in basketball, soccer, baseball, martial arts, gymnastics, skateboarding, cycling and many other sports and recreational activities.
Are sports mouthguards usually worn on the upper teeth?
Yes. Most athletic mouthguards protect the upper dental arch because it is commonly considered at greatest risk of injury, although individual circumstances may require a different design.
How long does a custom sports mouthguard last?
There is no fixed lifespan. Wear, growth, tooth eruption, dental treatment and orthodontic changes can all affect fit. The appliance should be replaced when it is damaged, significantly worn or no longer fits properly.
Do I need a new mouthguard every sports season?
Not necessarily. An adult with stable teeth may be able to use a well-fitting appliance for longer, while a growing child or teenager may require more frequent replacement. Fit and condition are more useful guides than the calendar alone.
