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MOUTHGUARDS

Now that the school holidays are over kids are back playing sports such as football and rugby.Mouthguards are an important protection for teeth in potentially contact sports.It only takes one elbow or knee to the face to cause serious damage to the front teeth in  particular.

Mouthguards can protect against tooth fracture or even entire tooth loss which obviously has lifelong consequences.Large fractures to the mainly upper incisors require filling which ,no matter how well done can lead to appearance problems as fillings can discolour and chip as time goes on.Continual replacement of these fillings can be required which can be an unpleasant procedure for the patient.

Prevention is better than cure so mouthguards are an essential item for children and adults who participate in such sports.We at Riverside Dental Practice strongly recommend mouthguards provided by a dental Practice as they fit far better than ones made from the DIY kits available in shops

Providing mouthguards is easy-we take an impression of the teeth which only takes a few minutes and our dental laboratory uses this to make the mouthguard.This only takes a few days and once we have checked the fit the mouthguard is ready to use.The mouthguards fit indefinitely.The only exception is in younger children who may need replacements as baby teeth are lost and replaced by permanent teeth.

Nowadays mouthguards can be provided in many different colours and patterns depending on the patient’s preference e.g. team colours,saltires ,other national flags -or even boring clear!

We strongly recommend use of mouthguards as damage or even loss of a tooth or teeth cam lead to unpleasant dental treatments.

Even if no direct obvious damage is done by a blow teeth can discolour as time goes on as the nerve of the tooth dies off-this can necessitate root treatment and for example  crowns or veneers.