Custom Mouthguards in Hocking | Hocking Dental Care

A mouthguard is a shield worn over the teeth to take the force of an impact, or of grinding, that would otherwise go into the teeth themselves. Custom-fitted is the only kind worth having.

A mouthguard is a removable rubber or polyvinyl shield worn over your teeth, most often the upper teeth, to protect the teeth and jaws from injury during sport. There are two basic types available, and the difference between them is not marginal.

Custom-fitted against off-the-shelf

Custom-fitted

From your dentist

Constructed directly from a mould taken of your teeth in the dental surgery, so it fits tightly and comfortably.
This is the type recommended by the dental profession and the most effective at preventing injuries to the teeth and jaws.
Stays in place when it is hit, which is the entire point of wearing one.
Thin enough at the front to speak and breathe with, thick enough over the biting surfaces to absorb a blow.
Made in whatever colours you like, which matters more for compliance in juniors than adults expect.

Boil-and-bite or stock

From a pharmacy or sports shop

Usually poorly fitting and uncomfortable to wear.
Dentists do not recommend these, as they offer little protection to the teeth.
Bulky where it should be thin, so people clench to hold it in and end up breathing through the mouth.
Comes loose on impact, which is exactly when it is needed.
Frequently ends up in a pocket rather than a mouth, which protects nothing at all.

Patients are encouraged to obtain the custom-fitted guard to protect the teeth against damaging trauma. The comparison worth making is not between the two prices — it is between the price of a custom guard and the cost of rebuilding a broken front tooth, which is a crown and, quite often, root canal treatment, repeated over a lifetime as each restoration reaches the end of its life.

Which sports, and at what age

The general rule is anything with a ball, a stick, a board or an opponent.

Australian rules, rugby league and union, and soccer — where most dental injuries in this country happen.
Hockey, basketball, netball and water polo, where elbows and sticks do the damage rather than tackles.
Boxing, martial arts and any other combat sport.
Skateboarding, BMX, mountain biking and skiing.
Cricket, for wicketkeepers and for batting against fast bowling.

Wear one at training as well as on match day. A significant share of the injuries we see happened at training, where nobody had bothered, and a tooth does not know which it was.

Children need them refitted as their teeth change, usually every season or two rather than every few years. That is not a sales cycle — a guard made for a mouth with baby molars in it does not fit a mouth with adult ones, and a guard that does not fit does not protect. Bring it along to the routine six-monthly visit so we can see how it is seating.

Night guards, for grinding

A different job, made the same way. Most people who grind do not know they do.

Grinding and clenching, mostly at night and mostly without the person knowing, wears teeth flat over the years and cracks fillings and crowns. The damage accumulates slowly enough that it is usually noticed at a check-up rather than at home.

A night guard is made the same way as a sports mouthguard, from an impression of your teeth, but built for a different job: it takes the wear that would otherwise land on the enamel. It is generally harder and thinner than a sports guard, because it is resisting sustained pressure rather than a single impact.

Waking with a sore or tired jaw, or with a headache at the temples.
Teeth that are sensitive to cold with no decay to explain it.
Front teeth that have become shorter or squarer over the years, or back teeth with flattened, shiny facets.
Fillings or crowns that keep chipping, and cosmetic work that does not last.
A partner who can hear it.
Scalloped edges along the sides of the tongue, or a ridge of tissue along the inside of the cheek.

If any of those sound familiar, mention it at your next appointment. A night guard does not stop you grinding — nothing does reliably — but it moves the wear onto a piece of acrylic that costs a fraction of the enamel, crowns and veneers it is protecting.

Looking after it

Rinse it in cold water after every use, and clean it with a brush and mild soap rather than toothpaste, which is abrasive enough to scratch the surface. Store it dry, in a ventilated case, and never leave it in a hot car: heat warps the fit, and a warped guard protects nothing.

Let it dry before the case goes shut. A damp guard in a sealed box grows exactly what you would expect.
Keep it away from dogs. This is not a joke — it is one of the most common reasons a guard is replaced.
Bring it to your check-up so we can look at the fit and at the wear pattern on it, which tells us things about your bite you cannot feel.
Replace it when it perforates, distorts or stops clicking into place. A guard you have bitten through has finished its job.

Common questions

Mouthguards: your questions answered

How is a custom mouthguard made?: An impression or scan of your teeth is taken at one appointment, the guard is made from it, and you come back to have it fitted and checked. Two short visits, usually a week or two apart. If it is for a season that is about to start, allow that time rather than ringing the week before round one.
Upper or lower?: Upper, almost always. The upper front teeth take the great majority of sporting impacts because they sit forward of the lower ones. A lower guard is occasionally made where somebody wears a fixed brace on the lower arch or has an unusual bite, and we will tell you if that applies to you.
Can I wear one over braces?: Yes, and you should — the risk of a soft-tissue injury from brackets during contact sport is exactly why. The guard is made differently to accommodate the appliance and to allow for teeth that are moving, so tell us you are in orthodontic treatment when you book. It will need remaking more often than an ordinary one.
My child says it makes them feel sick.: That is nearly always a guard that is too bulky, too long at the back, or not properly seated — which is the usual story with a boil-and-bite one. A well-made custom guard should not touch the soft palate. Bring it in and we will look; if it is one of ours, it is adjustable.
How long does a mouthguard last?: For an adult, a few seasons if it is looked after. For a child or teenager, often one or two, because the mouth underneath it is changing. Replace it when it perforates, distorts, no longer clicks firmly into place, or has been chewed. Bring it to the check-up and we will tell you.
Does a night guard stop me grinding?: No, and anybody who says otherwise is overselling it. Grinding is largely driven by sleep and stress rather than by teeth, and there is no appliance that reliably stops it. What a night guard does is redirect the damage onto acrylic instead of enamel, and reduce the strain on the jaw joint and muscles, which is usually what improves the morning headaches.
Will private health cover it?: Mouthguards and night guards generally attract a rebate under extras cover, with their own item numbers, and cover is often better than people assume — funds would rather pay for a guard than for the crown it prevents. Ask us for the item number before the appointment and your fund can confirm the amount.
Can I just use a boil-and-bite one for training?: We would rather you did not, because a good deal of the injuries we see happened at training. If the choice is genuinely between a boil-and-bite guard and nothing, wear the boil-and-bite one. If it is between that and a custom guard, the custom one is the one that stays in place when it is hit.

All frequently asked questions

Rather talk it through first?

Ring us and describe what is going on. Reception will tell you whether to book about mouthguards, how long to allow, and whether anything needs looking at sooner.

Call (08) 9306 2755

Which system do you use?

Which system do you use?

Mouthguards

Which system do you use?

Custom-fitted against off-the-shelf

Which system do you use?

Which sports, and at what age

Night guards, for grinding

Looking after it

Mouthguards: your questions answered

Rather talk it through first?

Which system do you use?

Which system do you use?