- Superior Protection: Unlike over-the-counter mouth guards, custom-fitted mouth guards are made specifically for your mouth, offering superior protection and comfort. They are crafted to fit snugly over your teeth, providing a barrier that helps prevent injuries such as chipped or broken teeth, knocked-out teeth, and cuts to the lips and gums.
- Comfortable Fit: Because they are tailored to your unique dental structure, custom mouth guards are more comfortable to wear than generic options. This comfort encourages consistent use, ensuring that you are always protected during sports activities.
- Durable Materials: Our custom mouth guards are made from high-quality, durable materials that withstand the rigors of sports. They are designed to last, providing you with reliable protection season after season.
Mouth Guards for Bruxism and TMJ
Bruxism, or teeth grinding, is a common condition that can lead to a variety of dental problems, including tooth wear, jaw pain, and temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders. A custom-fitted mouth guard, often called a night guard, can help alleviate the symptoms of bruxism and protect your teeth from damage.
- Alleviating Symptoms: Night guards help reduce the pressure and friction caused by teeth grinding, alleviating symptoms such as jaw pain, headaches, and tooth sensitivity. By providing a cushion between your teeth, they help prevent further damage to your enamel and reduce the risk of developing TMJ disorders.
- Custom Fit for Comfort: Our night guards are custom-made to fit your mouth perfectly, ensuring a comfortable and secure fit. This customization helps ensure that you can wear the night guard throughout the night without discomfort, leading to more effective treatment.
- Durability and Ease of Use: Made from durable materials, our night guards are designed to withstand nightly use and provide long-lasting protection. They are easy to clean and maintain, ensuring that your oral hygiene routine remains simple and effective.
Mouth Guards for Sleep Apnea and Snoring
In addition to protecting your teeth, custom-fitted mouth guards can also help address sleep-related issues such as sleep apnea and snoring. These specialized mouth guards, known as mandibular advancement devices (MADs), help keep your airway open during sleep, reducing snoring and improving breathing.
- Improved Sleep Quality: By gently repositioning your lower jaw and tongue, MADs help keep your airway open, reducing interruptions in breathing that can lead to snoring and sleep apnea. This results in improved sleep quality and overall health.
- Comfort and Convenience: Custom-fitted MADs are designed to be comfortable and easy to wear, ensuring that you can sleep soundly without discomfort. They are a convenient and non-invasive option for managing sleep apnea and snoring.
- Effective and Non-Invasive: MADs offer an effective, non-invasive solution for mild to moderate sleep apnea and snoring. They can be used alone or in conjunction with other treatments, such as CPAP therapy, to provide comprehensive care.
The Process of Getting a Custom Mouth Guard
Getting a custom-fitted mouth guard at Dental Partners of Creve Coeur is a simple and straightforward process. Here’s what you can expect:
- Consultation: During your initial consultation, Dr. Singh will evaluate your needs and discuss the best type of mouth guard for your situation. Whether you need a sports mouth guard, a night guard for bruxism, or a MAD for sleep apnea, we will tailor our approach to meet your specific requirements.
- Impressions: To create a custom mouth guard, we will take precise impressions of your teeth. These impressions are used to fabricate a mouth guard that fits your mouth perfectly, ensuring optimal protection and comfort.
- Fabrication: Your custom mouth guard is crafted in a dental laboratory using high-quality materials. The fabrication process ensures that the mouth guard is durable, comfortable, and provides the best possible protection.
- Fitting and Adjustments: Once your mouth guard is ready, you will return to our office for a fitting. Dr. Singh will ensure that the mouth guard fits correctly and make any necessary adjustments to maximize comfort and effectiveness.
Schedule Your Appointment
Protecting your smile is essential, and a custom-fitted mouth guard can provide the protection you need for sports, bruxism, or sleep-related issues. To learn more about our mouth guard options or to schedule an appointment, please contact our office. Our team at Dental Partners of Creve Coeur is here to help you achieve and maintain a healthy, confident smile with the best possible care and protection.
Frequently Asked Questions About Mouth Guards
What types of mouth guards does Dental Partners of Creve Coeur offer?
We offer three types of custom-fitted mouth guards, and each one serves a different purpose. Sports mouth guards are probably what most parents come to us for first. They protect your child’s teeth during contact and collision sports and are custom-made to actually stay in place during play. Night guards are for kids and adults who grind or clench their teeth during sleep, a condition called bruxism, and they prevent the wear and jaw pain that grinding causes over time. We also offer mandibular advancement devices for patients dealing with snoring or sleep apnea. Dr. Singh will talk through your child’s situation with you and make sure you’re getting exactly what they need.
Why should I get a custom mouth guard instead of buying one at the drugstore?
It’s a fair question, especially when you can grab a boil-and-bite guard at the pharmacy for a fraction of the cost. The difference comes down to fit. Store-bought guards are made to a generic shape that sort of fits most mouths but isn’t tailored to your child’s specific teeth. They’re often bulky, uncomfortable, and easy to spit out mid-game, which means kids simply stop wearing them. A custom guard is made from precise impressions of your child’s actual teeth, so it fits snugly, doesn’t interfere with breathing or talking, and stays put. Kids are also much more likely to wear something that’s comfortable, and a mouth guard only protects your child if they’re actually wearing it.
My child wakes up with jaw pain and headaches. Could they be grinding their teeth?
It’s more common in kids than most parents realize, and it’s definitely worth bringing up at their next visit. Bruxism, the clinical term for teeth grinding or clenching, often happens during sleep so children have no awareness of doing it. Signs to watch for include complaints of jaw soreness or headaches in the morning, tooth sensitivity, and teeth that look worn or flattened over time. Left untreated, chronic grinding can lead to cracked teeth and jaw problems that are much more complex to address. A custom night guard won’t stop the grinding reflex, but it puts a protective cushion between the teeth that prevents damage from building up. Give us a call at (314) 432-0960 and we’ll take a look.
What sports require a mouth guard, and at what age should my child start wearing one?
If your child plays any sport that involves contact, collision, or the chance of a fall, they need a mouth guard. That covers more ground than most parents expect, including football, basketball, hockey, soccer, baseball, martial arts, wrestling, and gymnastics. The American Dental Association recommends mouth guards for all contact sports, and Dr. Singh fully supports that recommendation. As for age, there’s no minimum. As soon as your child is playing organized sports, it’s the right time to get them protected. We fit custom guards for children of all ages, and since kids’ mouths are still growing, we’ll let you know when it’s time to come in for a new one as their teeth continue to develop.
What is a mandibular advancement device and does my child need one?
A mandibular advancement device, or MAD, is a custom oral appliance that gently holds the lower jaw slightly forward during sleep. That positioning keeps the airway open and reduces both snoring and the breathing interruptions associated with sleep apnea. MADs are most commonly recommended for adults, but if your child has been evaluated for sleep apnea or snores heavily, it’s worth bringing up with Dr. Singh. He’ll assess whether an oral appliance is the right approach for your child’s age and specific situation, or whether another type of treatment would be a better fit.
What does the process of getting a custom mouth guard look like?
It’s quick and easy, which is good news for busy families. The first appointment is a consultation where Dr. Singh evaluates your child’s needs and determines which type of guard is right for them. We then take simple impressions of their teeth, which go to a dental lab where the guard is custom made. It’s ready in about two weeks, and you’ll come back for a short fitting appointment where Dr. Singh checks the fit and makes any tweaks needed. That’s it. Most kids find the whole process completely painless, and they leave with a guard that actually fits well enough that they’ll want to wear it.
How do we take care of the mouth guard so it lasts?
Good news: it’s low maintenance. After each use, rinse the guard with cool water rather than hot since heat can warp the shape, and give it a gentle brush with a soft toothbrush and mild soap. Store it in the ventilated case it comes with rather than leaving it in a gym bag where it can get crushed or collect bacteria. It’s also worth bringing it along to your child’s regular checkups so Dr. Singh can check it for wear and confirm it’s still fitting well. With normal care, a custom mouth guard typically lasts one to three years for adults, but for children whose teeth and jaws are actively changing, you may need a replacement sooner. We’ll keep an eye on it and let you know.
Is a custom mouth guard covered by our dental insurance?
It depends on the type of guard and your specific plan. Sports mouth guards are generally not covered since most dental insurance focuses on treatment rather than prevention. Night guards for bruxism are covered at least partially by many plans, which makes sense given that untreated grinding almost always leads to more expensive restorative work down the road. MADs for sleep apnea may actually fall under your medical insurance rather than dental, especially with a documented diagnosis. Since coverage varies so much from plan to plan, we recommend calling our office at (314) 432-0960 before the appointment. Our team will verify your benefits and walk you through what to expect cost-wise before anything is ordered, so there are no surprises.
