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"Injuries to the mouth happen more often than you think.   Baseball, soccer, football...these kind of sports put kids at a higher risk for injury," says Dr. Nguyen of Pacific Dental Care.  "The American Dental Association estimates that mouth guards prevent approximately 200,000 injuries each year in high school and collegiate football alone."

"We think it's important to inform the community of these injuries which could result in a lifetime dental costs of $10,000 - $15,000 per tooth," adds Dr. Nguyen.  "Off-the-shelf mouth guards that you find in sporting good stores offer a certain amount of protection, but only custom-fitted mouth guards contain the essential ingredients for effective prevention of injuries to teeth."

Today, the most common mouth guard is the boil-and-bite type that is often purchased at a local sporting good store.   This mouth guard is almost completely ineffective because it does not provide the adequate 3 mm width between teeth.  Often times, when you bite through these mouthguards to mold them to your teeth, they become very thin in this key area.   Also, these mouthguards do not take into consideration orthodontic treatment, baby teeth, and other special needs that can be addressed with a custom fitted mouthguard.   Most kids do not wear these boil-and-bite mouthguards reliably because often they are uncomfortable and prevent adequate speech.

Advantages of a Custom Fitted Mouthguard:

1. They prevent the tongue, lips and cheeks from being lacerated against the sharp edges of the maxillary teeth.
2. They lessen the risk of injury to the upper front teeth by about 90%.
3. They lessen the risk of damage to the back teeth of either jaw following a blow delivered to the lower jaw which causes traumatic closure of the jaws. Such an impact can often cause tooth fractures and infractions.
4. They lessen the risk of jaw fractures by absorbing the energy of a traumatic blow to the chin.
5. They lessen the risk of concussion occurring subsequent to an impact to the lower jaw from either in front or below.
6. They improve the confidence of players. Athletes concentrate their efforts on the execution of their sport.
7. Better comfort and improved speech ability.