Mouthguards
A mouthguard is a protective device worn in the upper jaw to reduce injuries to the teeth, jaws and associated soft tissues. At Cornerstone Dental our dentists can provide custom laminated mouthguard made at our on-site lab. Call our staff on 3172 3651 to make a booking for a mouthguard fitting.
Costs (current for 2019)
Clear and plain colour combinations are just $75. Other colours $95. NO GAP for Private health fund with dental cover.
Mouthguards are unfortunately not covered by the Medicare Child Dental Benefits Scheme.
The benefits of wearing a sports mouthguard include reducing:
- the risk of injury to the upper front teeth;
- damage to the back teeth of either jaw following a traumatic closure of the mandible;
- lacerations, tongue damage at impact;
- fracture of jaw bones; and
- damage to the temporomandibular joint.
Custom-made mouthguards (formed on a cast of the wearer’s jaws) are best. Mouth-formed and stock mouthguards have disadvantages with respect to possible inadequate thickness, looseness and often rapid material deterioration with a consequent risk of injury.
Provision of professionally fitted, custom-made mouthguards for people involved in contact sports, and recognition of the ‘injury-prone dentition’ are important in injury prevention.
Consideration should be given to wearing mouthguards in all sporting activities in which there is a risk of trauma to the teeth and associated structures. Such activities include stick and ball sports, all football codes, contact martial arts and where close physical contact could reasonably be expected, e.g., water polo, basketball and netball.
What age should mouthguard wear commence?
Dental injuries are relatively common in children and their effects can be catastrophic to the developing teeth. Good habits for use of protective equipment are maximised by their early introduction. Wearing custom-made mouthguards should commence as soon as children start participating in organised sport. Custom-made professionally fitted mouthguards can be fabricated for the deciduous (baby teeth) dentition and should be considered as a part of their sporting team uniform. Patients undergoing orthodontic treatment can also be provided with custom-made mouthguards.
