Custom Sports Mouth Guards in Bellevue, WA
Keeping an Athletic Lifestyle With a Gold Medal Winning Smile.
Protecting teeth is something that we at D. Ian Bell, D.D.S. think about a lot – it’s our job! We feel that it is our responsibility to our patients to educate them on best practices that can save them from needing expensive dental work. Sports are one of the biggest causes of traumatic injury to teeth and the mouth, which is why we offer custom sports mouthguards to our patients. A mouthguard can save your teeth from an untold damage that could end up costing you money, or even a tooth!
Who needs a mouthguard?
Generally speaking, if you or your children participate in overtly physical sports, a mouthguard is probably not a bad idea. Sports that have high instances of trauma to teeth and the face are:
• |
Football
|
• |
Rugby
|
• |
Lacrosse
|
• |
Hockey (field and ice)
|
• |
Martial arts
|
• |
Boxing
|
• |
Wrestling
|
• |
Basketball |
The above list is what most people think of when they think of physical sports that could cause injury to teeth. It’s true, the above list is high-risk sports for trauma to teeth, but what a lot of people don’t realize is that most sports pose just as high a risk to teeth but are rarely considered to be risky. Sports that you should consider wearing a mouthguard for include:
• |
Baseball
|
• |
Soccer
|
• |
Volleyball
|
• |
Gymnastics
|
• |
Water Polo
|
• |
Softball
|
• |
Skiing
|
• |
Snowboarding
|
• |
BMX or Mountain Bicycling
|
• |
Raquetball
|
• |
Skateboarding
|
• |
Acrobatics |
You should wear a mouthguard whenever you are engaging in an activity where you or an object that you must come in close contact with is moving at a high velocity.
What is the best type of mouthguard?
Because Dr. D. Ian Bell has an upstanding membership with both the American Dental Association and the Academy of Sports Dentistry, he maintains a high level of expertise in sports dentistry. Both of the above institutions recommend a pressure-laminated, custom-fitted mouthguard to those who participate in risky sports. These guards are the very best at keeping your mouth safe from harm because they are custom fitted to your teeth and will not dislodge during collisions.
Why a custom fitted mouthguard more expensive than the store bought kind?
When you buy a store bought mouthguard; you are buying a one size fits all product. Store bought mouthguards don’t account for how different every mouth is from every other mouth. We understand that your mouth is unique so that we will create a unique mouthguard for you. The material that we use is superior in every way to that of OTC mouthguards; it will last you three times as long and fit you much more snuggly.
The price of OTC mouthguards is offset by the potential damage that can still be done to your teeth when you are using one. Because they are one size fits all, they must be extremely flexible to fit in everyone’s mouth. This flexibility prevents them from adding any protective benefit to your mouth. The guards we provide are rigid and can save your teeth from being knocked out or damaged in any way.
If you would like to schedule an appointment, please call us today at (425) 883-8333.
|