Here at Rogers Family Dental, our office is excited about football season! From the speed and power of professional football to the excitement of pulling for your favorite college team, it is a great way to welcome the fall season! When it comes to our very own local athletes in Greeneville and Greene County, now is the time to invest in a custom made athletic mouth guard.
The American Dental Association estimates that mouth guards prevent 200,000 dental injuries each year, but is there really a difference between custom guards and “boil and bite” over the counter guards?
This question has been investigated in many scientific studies and it has been clearly shown that custom mouth guards offer the best protection against injuries. This is because custom athletic guards are not “one size fits all” but are truly made to fit each mouth precisely. “Boil and bite” mouth guards are better than nothing and at least offer some customization, but often when fitting these guards, the athlete will often form it improperly, resulting in areas that are either too thin and do not offer enough protection or areas that are too thick and get in the way of proper breathing or an inability to close the mouth comfortably. A custom guard will have the ideal thickness in all important areas but will also be slimmed out in the right spots to not interrupt breathing. In fact, we make mouth guards with several different levels of protection depending on which sport or activity the athlete participates in. Also, custom guards are much more durable and will not disintegrate after one season of play.
While football may be the main attraction right now and most people know that mouth guards are the norm, there are other sports which have a high risk for dental injuries especially because athletes in these sports do not routinely wear mouth guards. Basketball, volleyball, baseball and soccer are a few of these. I would STRONGLY recommend that any athlete involved in any of these sports wear a mouth guard. We have seen far too many painful and costly injuries result from the “it won’t happen to me” attitude toward mouth guards.
Dr. Jon Rogers and Dr. Michael Rogers at Rogers Family Dental offer custom mouth guards in every color imaginable and they can be customized with team logos, names, player numbers, and integrated helmet straps. The cost is only slightly more than an over the counter guard and the comfort and protection are in another league, no pun intended!