With sports being a year round activity, it’s important to protect your teeth while playing contact sports. Mouth guards are a flexible, removable device made of soft plastic, and they are adapted to fit comfortably with the shape of the upper teeth. Mouth guards protect not just the teeth, but the lips, cheeks, and tongue, and they also help protect athletes from head and neck injuries, as well as concussions and jaw fractures. Increasingly, organized sports are requiring mouth guards to prevent injury to their athletes, and research shows us that most oral injuries occur when athletes are not wearing mouth protection. They should be worn whenever you are in an activity with a risk of falls or head contact with other players or equipment. This includes football, baseball, basketball, soccer, wrestling, hockey, and even gymnastics. We encourage you to choose a mouth guard that you can wear comfortably. You can select from several options in mouth guards. First, preformed or “boil-to-fit” mouth guards are found in sports stores. Otherwise, we can talk about your options for a custom mouth guard, which will be more comfortable to wear and more effective in preventing injuries this winter. For your convenience we have a custom mouthpart making machine in our office. This will cut down on wait time so you can have your mouth guard made in just a few days time. Call to get your mouth guard appointment today.