Pediatric Mouth Guards and Night Guards

No parent wants to hear that their child has broken a tooth playing sports. Most children participate in sports after school where they are more likely to get hit in the mouth and knocked out or lose teeth. Luckily, there are many methods to prevent this from happening. Pediatric mouth guards and night guards are two of the most effective methods for lasting and reliable prevention of broken or chipped teeth. At Wilderness Station Pediatric Dentistry in Lincoln, NE we offer pediatric mouth guards and night guards to help protect children’s teeth.

Why Are Mouth Guards/Night Guards Important?

30% of Americans experience bruxism, the chronic clenching and grinding of one’s teeth. Of that 30%, 14% to 17% of children grind their teeth. Possible causes of grinding include stress, irritation in the mouth, allergies, misaligned teeth, earaches and hyperactivity. There isn’t just one cause of bruxism, so it is important to know the symptoms that may require treatment. These symptoms include dull headaches, jaw soreness, teeth that are painful or loose and fractured teeth.

What Are Mouth Guards/Night Guards?

There are different types of mouth guards that your child can get. The most effective night guards are custom made by a dentist. “Boil and bite” night guards are found at drugstores and are not custom fitted. They are usually overly bulky and sometimes come out during the night while grinding. These store bought night guards are made out of rubber-based material that actually encourages grinding, so it is counterproductive. Custom-fitted night guards are created based on your specific grinding pattern. Your dentist will take a mold of your upper and lower teeth and the final night guard is then created at an offsite dental laboratory.

Night guards are worn during the night, while mouth guards are typically worn during the day.

While night guards are not usually recommended for children, mouth guards are highly recommended for all children who play sports. Mouth guards are worn over the teeth during the day, usually when the child is participating in sports or other activities where they may be hit in the mouth and they protect teeth if the child is struck in the mouth by an elbow, ball, etc.

We highly recommended mouth guards to active children since one of the leading causes of chipped, damaged teeth or teeth being knocked out is playing sports. Since mouth guards are not required, many children do not wear them which puts them at risk for damaged teeth. Not only do mouth guards save teeth, they also help protect jaws and can prevent traumatic injuries such as concussions.