Many complications that occur with oral health are entirely preventable, while others are not. Accidents strike when you are least expecting it which is why we (and the American Dental Association) strongly advise the use of a mouthguard during sports.  Our goal is to educate our patients on the different mouthguard types, their protective properties and their benefits. Mountain Aire Dentistry also makes nightguards to protect your teeth when you sleep from issues such as teeth grinding or clenching.  These issues can cause jaw pain, headache pain, abnormal wear of your teeth, and deprive you of a good night’s sleep.  Make an appointment today to decide if you could benefit from either of these appliances that we can offer you for your protection and good health.

The Power of Prevention Strategies

At Mountain Aire Dentistry we work to educate our patients on how they can have the best oral health possible.  An educated patient is empowered to keep his/her mouth healthy and strong for a lifetime. Nightguards and mouthguards are tools that we custom-craft for you to protect your mouth from injury. The Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA) reports that 13-39% of dental injuries are caused by athletic activities when mouthguards were not being used. The National Youth Sports Foundation for Safety has additional findings that show that dental injuries are the most common type of orofacial injury in athletics.  An athlete is 60 times more likely to have an oral trauma when NOT wearing a protective mouthguard.  Oral injuries often cause permanent damage that could have been prevented if the participant had used a mouthguard.  

Mouthguards

According to the American Dental Association, the best kind of mouthguard you can use is one that has been custom made for your mouth by your dentist.  There are other types of mouthguards you can buy at your local drugstore–stock mouthguards, and boil-and-bite mouthguards–but they aren’t as effective as custom-made guards.  An effective mouthguard should be durable, easy to clean, resist tears, and should not limit your speech or breathing abilities.  Custom-made mouthguards offer you ALL these benefits while store-bought mouthguards don’t.  

Nightguards

Nightguards are primarily used to treat teeth grinding habits when you sleep.  Teeth grinding often stems from stress and anxiety but can also be caused by misaligned teeth, mouth irritations and allergies.  Teeth grinding is not a harmless act and needs to be addressed with your dentist.  Dr. Bockrath can help determine the cause for the teeth grinding and offer treatment. Nightguards will be prescribed to help prevent oral injuries, headaches, jaw tenderness, breaking teeth, or TMJ disorders. Again, nightguards are used to PREVENT oral injuries and chronic conditions. Ignoring problems will only cause you more pain down the road.

Custom-Made to Fit Your Exact Needs

An ill-fitting mouthguard won’t protect you the way a custom-made mouthguard will. Custom-made mouthguards won’t move around during activities.  You don’t have to fear the appliance dislodging on impact. Custom-made mouthguards, designed by our dentist in our office, ensure that you are getting the perfect fit for your bite and smile. A proper fit is important to ensure that your teeth will be properly protected during activity.  A member of our Mountain Aire Dentistry team will go over how to ensure your mouthguard is working properly for your activity and proper care instructions.  

Mouthguards for Braces

Yes, if you have braces you can and SHOULD still wear a mouthguard during athletic activities. Mouthguards are especially important for protecting you from injuries during orthodontic treatment. Impact to the face can damage your brackets or other fixed orthodontic devices. A mouthguard also provides a barrier between the braces and your cheek or lips, protecting you from soft tissue injuries.  Protect yourself from most dental emergencies by committing to wearing a mouthguard.

Call for an Appointment

Dr. Bockrath and his staff believe prevention is one of the best ways to care for your teeth. We do all we can so we can safeguard our oral health.  Mouthguards are necessary to prevent oral injuries from athletics.  Nightguards are necessary to prevent oral injuries from teeth grinding.  To learn more about how these products can help keep your mouth healthy and strong, call for a consultation today.  To schedule treatment at our eco-friendly office,  call our Broomfield office today at 303-872-7755. Our team at Mountain Aire Dentistry is dedicated to you and your health.