Wednesday, May 15, 2019

Mouthguards and Facial Safety

If you play organized sports, you’re probably required to wear a mouthguard. But even if you don’t there are still plenty of activities for which it’s a good idea to have one. We’ve treated a lot of people at Fresh Meadows Dental Care who have suffered emergencies and we’ve provided them with lasting restorations, but we’d rather our patients understand their preventive options.


If a mouthguard is fitted properly, it shouldn’t interfere with breathing or be overly cumbersome. Athletic wear stores and online retailers provide both generic mouthguards and boil-and-bite models. The latter are much preferable. They have the advantage of being easily modified as a person’s teeth shift position, which is especially important for people undergoing orthodontic therapy. (Invisalign aligners should not be used as mouthguards.) A person with braces may want their boil-and-bite mouthguard refitted under professional supervision.


A fixed mouthguard might be preferable if a person is done undergoing orthodontic therapy. Regardless, mouthguards and their containers need to be cleaned with each use. They should also be kept out of heat to avoid unwanted reshaping. Besides when playing sports, the American Dental Association also recommends that people wear mouthguards while cycling, skating, and doing gymnastics. If you need help caring for a mouthguard, we’ll be glad to give you some pointers.


Farid Hakimzadeh, DDS, operates Fresh Meadows Dental Care at 58-47 Francis Lewis Blvd., Suite 100, Flushing, New York, 11364. To schedule an appointment, call 718-224-7272 or visit Fresh Meadows Dental and fill out a contact form.


 

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