Need to Find Out How Long Do Mouthguards Last?

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1 What Are Mouth Guards And How Do They Protect Your Teeth?

Mouth guards do an excellent job at protecting your teeth and preventing dental injuries. Despite the fact that dental enamel is the hardest substance in the human body, it’s still possible to damage your teeth if you grind them at night or sustain an injury to your mouth when playing sports. Looking after your custom mouth guard well could ensure that it lasts for a long time, but if you are considering investing in one, you probably want to know how long do mouthguards last. Let’s take a look.

What Are Mouth Guards And How Do They Protect Your Teeth?

A mouth guard is a piece of protective equipment that is just as important as a helmet or pads to protect your joints. In fact, sports and recreation activities are the leading cause of sports injuries in Australia, and there are plenty of ways you can do damage your teeth:

Cuts to your cheeks, tongue and lips
Knocked-out teeth
A broken jaw
Chipped, cracked or fractured teeth.

A mouth guard is fitted over the front of your teeth. It’s a protective piece of cushioning that absorbs the impact if you receive trauma to your mouth. It also stops your top and bottom jaw from grinding together and helps you to avoid wear, tear and damage to your teeth if you grind them at night.

Wearing a custom-fitted mouth guard offers you the best level of protection, because everyone’s mouth shape and teeth are different.

Custom mouth guards are created to fit the contours of your teeth perfectly, so they don’t move around. Custom-fitted mouth guards should fit snugly, allow you to breathe without difficulty and not impede your speech (which is pretty important when you’re playing team sports) without causing a gag reflex. While they are the most expensive option on the market, the cost of treating a dental injury is far greater than the cost of the mouthguard.

So, How Long Do Mouthguards Last?

The answer to this question is different for everyone. Children and adolescents whose jaws and teeth are still growing will need to replace their mouth guards on a more regular basis than adults. Because new teeth emerge until the early 20s, it’s recommended to replace children’s and teens’ mouthguards every 12 to 18 months.

If you’re an adult whose facial bones have stopped growing and who has all your permanent teeth already, you can expect your mouthguard to last for longer. With good care, a high-quality mouthguard may last for three to five years.

Looking after your mouthguard can help you to get more wear out of it. This means keeping it clean, and not leaving it in the sun or in really hot temperatures, which can cause the material to perish and weaken. You should inspect your mouthguard routinely, to look for signs of wear and tear, and replace it when you notice damage because it means that the mouthguard can’t offer you maximum protection.

To find out more about how long do mouthguards last, or to book your custom fitting, please contact us for an appointment:

Buderim: (07) 5317 1023

Caloundra: (07) 5315 8076