A sports mouthguard is a custom-fitted plastic appliance worn over the upper teeth during physical activity. It protects the teeth, the lips, and the soft tissues of the mouth from impact, and it reduces the risk of jaw injury from a sudden blow. For a child or adult who plays a contact or collision sport, it is small dentistry that prevents large dentistry.
Custom mouthguards made by a dentist fit better, protect better, and last longer than the boil-and-bite versions sold over the counter. The difference matters: a poorly fitting guard slips out of place during play, makes breathing harder, gets removed because it is uncomfortable, and ends up in a kit bag instead of in a mouth.
At our Mohali clinic we make custom sports mouthguards as a quick, unfussy appointment, particularly for children and adolescents who are playing cricket, hockey, football, or any sport where a stray ball or stick can reach the face. The few visits it takes to make a guard cost a fraction of one knocked-out front tooth.
When a mouthguard is worth wearing
A mouthguard is worth wearing during any sport with a meaningful risk of impact to the face. The obvious cases are cricket (especially batting and wicket-keeping), hockey, football, boxing, rugby, and martial arts. The less obvious ones include skating, mountain biking, basketball played at any level, and many children’s school sports where the risk is from other players rather than equipment.
A custom mouthguard is also worth wearing by adults with orthodontic appliances during sport, by patients with a history of dental trauma who want to protect existing restorations, and by anyone whose front teeth have been crowned, bonded, or veneered and who plays anything where the face might get hit.
When over-the-counter is good enough, and when it is not
A boil-and-bite mouthguard from a sports shop is good enough for occasional, casual play in a low-risk sport. It will provide some protection against minor impact, although it tends to be bulky and uncomfortable. For a child or adult playing regularly, in any contact sport, or in any sport where the consequences of an impact would be significant, the over-the-counter guard is not good enough. It is the difference between basic protection and proper protection.
The reason custom guards perform better is not exotic: they actually fit the teeth they are meant to protect. A guard that fits properly stays in place during play, breathes well, and disperses the force of an impact across more of the mouth instead of concentrating it on one point. The patient also wears it, which is the largest single factor in whether a guard helps at all.
How we make sports mouthguards at our Mohali clinic
We make custom sports mouthguards in-house at our Mohali clinic. The process is quick and inexpensive compared with most dental work.
A scan or impression of the teeth is taken at the first visit. The mouthguard is fabricated by the laboratory from the model, and fitted at a second visit a week or so later. We check that the bite is comfortable, that the guard stays in place under realistic playing conditions, and that the patient can breathe and speak through it well enough to actually wear it during a game.
What to expect at your appointment
The whole sequence for a custom mouthguard is usually two short visits over one to two weeks.
- A short first visit with an examination and a scan or impression of the upper teeth.
- Laboratory fabrication of the guard, with the option of colour and pattern for children who would like to choose.
- A fitting visit, with a check of the bite, the comfort, and the breathing through the guard.
- A quick instruction on how to clean and store the guard.
Children who are still growing will outgrow a guard within twelve to eighteen months, sometimes faster during a growth spurt. Adult guards last two to three years on average, depending on use. A guard that no longer fits offers far less protection than a guard that does, and the cost of a replacement is small.
Common questions before treatment
Parents ask whether their child really needs a custom one rather than the cheaper boil-and-bite version. For occasional, casual play, the boil-and-bite is acceptable. For a child playing regular school or club sport, a custom guard is a much better investment, particularly through the years that the adult front teeth are coming in and a knock would be permanent.
Patients ask whether they can sleep in their sports mouthguard for night grinding. They should not. A sports guard is designed for impact protection, not for the long-term wear of grinding. A separate, thinner guard is made specifically for night-time grinding, and we will make one for you if that is what you need.
A third common question is how to clean the guard. Rinse it with cold water after each use, brush it gently with a soft brush and mild soap, store it in a ventilated case (not in a closed plastic bag), and keep it away from heat. A hot car or direct sunlight will warp a guard quickly.
A note on cost and timelines
A custom sports mouthguard is one of the most affordable pieces of preventive dentistry we offer. The cost is small, the visit time is short, and the guard typically pays for itself many times over compared with the cost of a single dental injury.
For families coming in to make guards for several children at once, please tell us in advance so we can schedule the scans together. For an NRI patient returning to club sport while home for a visit, get in touch a few weeks before you arrive and we will have a guard ready within the trip.