Many athletes find that off-the-shelf mouth guards are uncomfortable. This is even more common for athletes with braces. As a result, they tend to wear them less often or they might not use one at all. The American Dental Association recommends that athletes participating in contact sports are fitted for a custom mouth guard.
Your custom-fitted mouth guard represents a serious investment in protecting your teeth while playing contact sports. So it’s important to take care of it and prolong the overall life of the mouth guard.
After each session or practice, you should brush your teeth with soft-bristled toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste. Then, rinse the mouth guard thoroughly under cool or lukewarm water.
Regardless of the material it is made out of, you should never soak your mouth guard in hot water or leave it out in the sun. The thermoplastic material used to make custom mouth guards can suffer minor deformations in the custom fit when exposed to heat.
Check the mouth guard regularly for signs of wear and tear. Be sure to keep it in a case with vents when you’re transporting it.
If you have any questions about how to maintain your custom mouth guard, please feel free to call us at [phone] to schedule an appointment.