Cairns mouthguards

Future Dental specialises in creating custom-made mouthguards for our patients

So whether you are a sportsperson or a ‘grinder’, you can be confident your teeth are getting the best possible protection.

A dentist-made, custom-fitted mouthguard can not only save you from very expensive and inconvenient front tooth disfigurement but will also greatly reduce your chances of potentially life-threatening brain injuries. In trauma wards, severe soft tissue and bone injuries are often regarded as repairable; tooth injuries are often the only permanent injury.

While we are not suggesting you should wear a mouthguard for driving, if you play a wide variety of sports, your chances of suffering life-changing dental injuries are greatly multiplied if you do not wear a custom-fitted mouthguard.

NB: Sports store or chemist bought mouthguards afford you very little protection and are actually a false economy. The best protection is a mouth guard which has been custom-made and fitted to suit your dental profile and Future Dental can help.

Benefits of a customised dental mouthguard vs over-the-counter mouthguards

A custom-made mouthguard fits your upper teeth and is indented so your lower teeth close into it. The indenting of your lower teeth into the mouthguard greatly reduces shock to your jaw joints and as a result, greatly lessens the risk of brain injuries to the middle lobes of the brain while at the same time reducing shock to the frontal lobes via your maxillary bones and their related facial and cranial bones.

An accurate fit and even thickness of material protect your teeth, gums, joints and jaws while at the same time being much more comfortable and firmly fitting. An over-the-counter one does virtually not give any of these benefits. As a result, it is a false economy and leaves you vulnerable.

What is involved in having a custom-made mouthguard?

Usually, it is a good idea to have an examination. This way we can check to see that you don’t require any other dental work that may affect the shape of your teeth, therefore affecting the fit of the mouthguard. Impressions of both upper and lower teeth are taken by the dentist.

Mouthguards can still be fitted if you have braces on your teeth or if you wear a partial denture in nearly all cases.

The mouthguard is fabricated out of the most appropriate material for both your own comfort and considering the nature of your sport or potentially dangerous activity for which your mouthguard is being made. Usually, around a week later your custom mouthguard is ready to collect. No appointment is necessary to fit it for you as all these things are done in your first appointment.

You may select the colour scheme to your personal liking or to suit your team colours.

If you have never worn a proper mouthguard before (not counting a sports store or chemist bought one), it will take a little getting accustomed to and we strongly advise you wear it at home a few times before a game and also do your training with it. This avoids the distraction during an important game of something that, at first, seems quite foreign to you.

What sorts of sports require a mouthguard?

This list is far from comprehensive but covers the most common sports:

• Football – all codes
• Basketball
• Netball
• Hockey
• Martial arts – all types
• BMX and Motocross along with your helmets
• Cricket – wicket keeping and slips field positions as well as batting
• Beach volleyball
• Baseball
• White-water kayaking and rafting
• Some gymnastic events
• Rodeo events

FAQs