The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) recommends that all children wear mouth guards during sports and other recreational activities. Mouth guards are easily available and custom-fitted appliances that protect your children’s teeth from serious dental injuries and trauma. Whether your children have baby teeth or permanent teeth, mouth guards offer the necessary protection.
Kids' Mouth Guard
Ashburn
Nova Children’s Dentistry is a state-of-the-art pediatric dental clinic providing kids’ mouth guards in Ashburn and South Riding, VA. We take accurate impressions of your children’s teeth to provide custom-fitted mouth guards that provide far more protection than store-bought alternatives. Please schedule an appointment to learn about your mouth guard options.
How can mouth guards reduce dental injury?
- Cushion the impact of sporting injuries, falls, or traumas.
- Minimize the risk of knocked-out teeth, chipped teeth, and fractured teeth.
- Minimize the risk of injuries to the tongue, cheeks, jaw, and lips.
- Protect the soft tissues from injuries.
- Prevent dental problems caused by teeth grinding and clenching.
While mouth guards are designed specifically to reduce dental injuries, they also provide other benefits. They reduce the force of impact during sports, injuries, and traumas, which usually affects the jaw and the central nervous system at the base of the brain. As such, mouth guards cushion the blow from serious injuries that could otherwise cause traumatic brain injuries.
What are the types of mouth guards?
Stock Mouth Guards
Stock mouth guards are bought directly from stores and fitted into the child’s mouth. Since they’re store-bought mouth guards, they follow a one-size-fits-all approach with minimal adjustment possibilities. They’re cheap, easily available, and easy to wear. However, since they’re not designed according to your dental anatomy, they offer minimal protection from injuries. In some cases, they can also cause breaking problems, speaking problems, and sores and injuries.
Custom-Fitted Mouth Guards
Custom-fitted mouth guards are the best type of mouth guards because they offer maximum protection and comfort. The dentist takes an impression of the child’s teeth using special tools and mold. The impressions are sent to laboratories to prepare highly-customized mouth guards meant for your child’s unique dental anatomy. The process takes longer than the previous types, but it’s completely worth the wait. Our custom-fitted kids’ mouth guards in Ashburn are orthodontically correct and approved by dentists.
Boil-and-Bite Mouth Guards
Boil-and-Bite mouth guards can be bought from stores, but they can’t be worn immediately. Made of thermoplastic material, they have to be immersed in hot water to increase their malleability and then pressed on the child’s teeth. The mouth guard adjusts according to the child’s dental anatomy. It offers more protection and comfort than a stock mouth guard, but it’s not as comfortable or protective as a mouth guard can be.
How to care for the mouth guard?
- Rinse the mouth guard in cold water and brush it with a mild soap before and after use.
- Store the mouth guard in a container that allows ventilation to prevent bacterial growth.
- Store acrylic mouth guards in freshwater.
- Don’t expose the mouth guard to hot temperatures, such as hot water and sunlight, for too long.
- Replace the mouth guard if it becomes loose.
- Keep the mouth guard away from pets.
