Custom sports mouthguards
A custom sports mouthguard is made to fit your own teeth, so it stays put and spreads the force of a knock to the face. The Australian Dental Association describes custom-made guards as the most protective option, and easier to breathe and speak in than one bought off a shelf.
What is sports mouthguards?
A mouthguard works by absorbing and spreading the impact of a knock to the face, which is what stands between an accident and a broken jaw, a cracked or knocked-out tooth, or a cut lip. The Australian Dental Association is blunt about why this matters: dental injuries are often difficult and expensive to treat, and a lost adult tooth can mean a lifetime of dental treatment, since a tooth does not grow back and whatever replaces it will itself need replacing over the years. There are three kinds of guard. A custom-fitted guard is made by a dentist from records of your own teeth. A boil-and-bite guard is softened in hot water and bitten into shape at home. A stock guard comes ready-made in a packet. The Victorian Government's Better Health Channel describes custom-fitted guards as providing the best protection because of their close fit, comfort and cushioning, and stock guards as offering the least. The problem with the do-it-yourself version is not the idea, it is the result: moulding it at home can leave some parts thicker than others, which changes how well it protects the places that need it. Contact sport is the obvious case, and in Australia that means football in all its codes, hockey and boxing. It is not the only case. The Australian Dental Association lists cricket, basketball, netball, touch football, skateboarding and soccer as sports that also cause damage, and the Better Health Channel notes that cycling, skateboarding and scooter riding account for a large share of dental injuries on their own. The other thing worth saying is that guards protect nobody in a bag. Most dental injuries at training happen because the guard was only worn on game day.
When might you need sports mouthguards?
Contact sport at any level
Football in all its codes, hockey and boxing, for training sessions as well as matches.
Sports people assume are low risk
Cricket, basketball, netball, touch football and soccer all cause dental injuries, and a ball or an elbow does not know what code it is.
Wheels
Skateboarding, scootering and cycling account for a large share of dental injuries, particularly in children and teenagers.
A child whose adult teeth are coming through
Front teeth are the ones that get knocked, and they are the ones that have to last the rest of a life.
Existing dental work on the front teeth
Veneers, bonding, crowns or an implant on a front tooth are worth protecting, because replacing them after a knock costs more than the guard.
What happens, in short
Choose the colours
Guards can be made in club colours, which sounds trivial and is the single most reliable way of getting a teenager to wear one.
Impressions or a scan
Records of your teeth are taken so the guard is made to your own mouth rather than to an average one.
The guard is made
It is made by a dental laboratory from those records, which is why it is not something you can walk out with on the day.
Fitting
The guard is tried in and checked. It should stay in place without being held there by your teeth, and you should be able to speak and breathe in it.
Checked at your check-ups
Bring it along. Fit changes as teeth move or come through, and a guard that no longer fits is not protecting much.
What does it cost?
A custom sports mouthguard is from $250, with a written quote before it is made. It is not a service the Child Dental Benefits Schedule pays for, although some extras policies contribute, and we claim on the spot through HICAPS.
You get a written, itemised quote with item numbers before any treatment starts, so you can check it with your health fund. Health funds · Payment options
Is a custom mouthguard really better than one from a sports store?
Yes, on the Better Health Channel's description: custom-fitted guards give the best protection because of their close fit, comfort and cushioning, and stock guards give the least.
The practical difference is that a fitted guard stays where it is put and you can breathe and talk in it, so it gets worn. A loose guard gets taken out.
How often should a child's mouthguard be replaced?
The Better Health Channel advises replacing a child's mouthguard every 12 to 18 months, even if it still looks fine, because growth and new teeth change the fit.
For someone who has finished growing, the Australian Dental Association says a well cared for guard can last several sporting seasons.
How do I look after it?
Rinse it after every use and wash it in cool or warm water, never hot. Let it dry, then keep it in a ventilated case out of direct sunlight.
Heat distorts it, so the back seat of a car in summer ruins more guards than sport does. Label the guard and the case, because they all look the same in a clubroom.
Should a mouthguard be worn at training?
Yes. A large share of dental injuries happen at training, where guards are most often left in the bag.
The habit is easier to build if the guard is comfortable, which is the practical argument for having one fitted rather than buying one off a shelf.
What do I do if a tooth is knocked out anyway?
Find the tooth, hold it by the crown rather than the root, and get to a dentist immediately. Time matters more than anything else.
There are specific steps that change the outcome for an adult tooth, and they are set out on our knocked-out tooth page.
Symptoms that can lead here
More about sports mouthguards
Other questions people ask
Can I have it in my club colours?
Yes. Colour combinations are chosen when the guard is ordered, and in our experience it is the difference between a guard that gets worn and a guard that lives in a bag.
Does my child need a new one every season?
Often, while they are growing. The Better Health Channel advises replacing a child's guard every 12 to 18 months because new teeth and growth change the fit, and a guard that no longer fits properly is not doing its job.
Can a mouthguard be worn with braces or aligners?
Braces change what is needed, so tell us before the guard is made rather than after. Bring aligners to the appointment as well, so we can plan how the two work together.
Will it make it hard to breathe or talk?
A fitted guard should not. Being able to breathe and speak easily is one of the differences the Australian Dental Association draws between a custom guard and one bought from a sports store.
Is a sports mouthguard the same as a night splint?
No. A sports guard is made to absorb a single hard knock during sport. A night splint is a hard appliance made to take grinding forces night after night. Wearing the wrong one for the job protects less than people expect.
How do I clean it if it starts to smell?
Brush it with a toothbrush and cool soapy water after each use and let it dry fully before it goes back in the case. A guard stored damp is the usual reason, and hot water is not the fix, because heat distorts it.
Is it covered for children under the government scheme?
No. Custom sports mouthguards are not a service the Child Dental Benefits Schedule pays for. Some extras policies contribute, and we claim on the spot through HICAPS.