There are seldom more important things to the healthy development of a child than his or her teeth.
Given that children tend to partake in physical activities and undergo enough stress to cause issues like teeth grinding, this means that protecting your child’s teeth requires a custom-fit mouth guard.
1. Sports and Physical Activities
Even the safest of sports carry certain inherent risks. While injuries like bruises and scrapes will heal on their own, damage to teeth will not. Chips and cracks will only become worse unless a dentist intervenes with restorative dentistry.
There are some situations where damaged teeth cannot be saved. Cracks down run down the crown of the tooth to the root require extraction and replacement of teeth. This can be particularly painful and scary for children.
Custom-fit mouth guards distribute any sudden changes in force, reducing the risk of traumatic injury to any given tooth. This makes sports and other activities safer for your child.
2. Reducing Concussions
A concussion is one of the most common forms of traumatic brain injuries that children experience. They occur when the head “bounces” in such a way that the brain is jarred. This results in damage that can be temporary, or in more severe cases, permanent and debilitating.
Custom-fit mouth guards may help in the prevention of these injuries.
A study published in General Dentistry found that athletes whom used custom-fit mouth guards suffered concussions half as frequently as those who did not.
If you want to protect your child’s mental abilities, which includes his or her ability to smile, then a mouth guard may be a good idea.
3. Controlling Bruxism
Bruxism, more commonly known as teeth grinding, can have devastating effects on teeth. The reason for this revolves around just how strong the jaw muscles are. They can apply hundreds of pounds of force when fully employed.
This can cause teeth to chip, crack and break. Even lighter cases of bruxism can wear enamel thin until the dentin inside is exposed to every harmful agent inside of the mouth.
Mouth guards can distribute the force of a bruxing child’s mouth. Custom-fit mouth guards can stabilize the teeth to prevent the grinding back and forth.
Custom-Fit Mouth Guards Protect Your Child
The point to take away about custom-fit mouth guards is that they can protect your child from several types of injuries. They can ensure that your child’s teeth and brain experience fewer problems, which means that you don’t have to worry as much about your child getting hurt or treating injuries that occur.
To acquire a professional custom-fit mouth guard, contact Ragan Orthodontics today to schedule a consultation appointment.