{"id":13679,"date":"2019-09-20T17:58:42","date_gmt":"2019-09-20T17:58:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\/blog\/?p=13679"},"modified":"2026-01-08T19:39:07","modified_gmt":"2026-01-08T19:39:07","slug":"wear-a-mouthguard-when-playing-sports","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\/blog\/2019\/09\/20\/wear-a-mouthguard-when-playing-sports\/","title":{"rendered":"Protecting Your Winning Smile: 4 Reasons to Get a Custom Mouthguard for Sports"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/AdobeStock_234103359__1569001946_47264.jpg\" alt=\"Football player with mouthguard\" class=\"wp-image-13680\" width=\"302\" height=\"201\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/AdobeStock_234103359__1569001946_47264.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/AdobeStock_234103359__1569001946_47264-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/AdobeStock_234103359__1569001946_47264-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 302px) 100vw, 302px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Do you need to wear\na mouthguard when playing sports? Pretty much any dentist would answer yes! All\nsports, be they high-contact or even no-contact, can put your at risk for\nbroken teeth, cut lips, fractured jaw and other kinds of physical trauma; in\nfact, according the American Dental Association, almost a third of all dental\ninjuries are related to sports in some way. That said, it\u2019s also been found\nthat athletes who wear mouthguards are 60 times less likely to damage their\nteeth. If that\u2019s not enough, here are 4 more reasons to ask your dentist for a\ncustom mouthguard. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. A Good, Comfortable Fit<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>You can get a pre-formed mouthguard at a sporting goods\nstore, but there\u2019s a good chance it won\u2019t fit properly. Teeth, jaws and mouths\nall come in different shapes and sizes, so \u201cone size fits all\u201d definitely does\nnot apply to oral appliances. A custom mouthguard is made using impressions\ntaking of your mouth; all the little nooks and crannies are taken into account,\nso you can be assured that the final appliance will be the right size to\nprotect your teeth while letting you talk and breathe easily.&nbsp; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A comfortable mouthguard is especially important if you\u2019re\ngetting it for your child. That way, there\u2019s less of a chance they\u2019ll take it\nout during their practice or \u201cforget\u201d to wear it because of the pain. As a\nbonus, a custom mouthguard will take any already-present dental work into\naccount, so they can be made to fit over braces without damaging them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Best Protection Available<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A mouthguard works by absorbing the impact of a physical\nblow and redistributing it so that less damage is done to the teeth and jaws. A\npoorly fitted mouthguard won\u2019t do this job as effectively; in fact, in some\ncases it could actually cause <em>more <\/em>damage! Only a mouthguard that\u2019s been\nproperly fitted can give you the full protection that you need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Correct Thickness<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The type of activity you\u2019re participating in will affect the\nkind of mouthguard you get. An appliance made for boxing or football will need\nto be relatively thick, but for sports like tennis where there\u2019s less of a risk\nfor severe impact, a thinner guard can be used. Your dentist will take your\nindividual needs into account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Save Money in the Long Run<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>While a custom mouthguard seems more costly on paper, in the\nlong run they\u2019ll prevent more injuries than pre-formed guards. That means\nthere\u2019s less of a chance that you\u2019ll need to pay for complex surgery or\nrestorative dental work such as porcelain veneers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you or someone you love has been playing sports without a\ncustom mouthguard, don\u2019t take any more chances than you already have; call your\ndentist in Arlington Heights right away for a consultation! <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">About the Practice<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>At Westgate Dental Care, our five dentists encourage all kinds of patients in Arlington Heights \u2013 from those with dental anxiety to those embarrassed about the state of their oral health \u2013 to get the care they need in a safe, relaxing, lecture-free environment. To ask about custom mouthguards and other kinds of preventive care, visit their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westgatedentalcare.net\/contact.html\">website<\/a> or call (847) 577-7171. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Do you need to wear a mouthguard when playing sports? Pretty much any dentist would answer yes! All sports, be they high-contact or even no-contact, can put your at risk for broken teeth, cut lips, fractured jaw and other kinds of physical trauma; in fact, according the American Dental Association, almost a third of all [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13679","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Custom Mouthguards in Arlington Heights | Westgate Dental Care<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Do you need to wear a mouthguard when you\u2019re playing sports? 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