The Most Important Protective Gear
Have you asked your patients about the sports activities they are involved in? If your patient is involved in a sport, they are likely in need of a quality athletic mouthguard. A custom-made athletic guard fabricated at Mike's Superior Dental Lab is one of the most important pieces of protective sports equipment your active patients can wear. We use superior quality materials to create a tough and resilient guard that offers your patient maximum protection and superior comfort.
Prevent Dental Injuries
Athletes of any age can benefit from a custom athletic mouthguard. However, it is the school-aged patients that are more likely to be involved in sports throughout the school year and into the summer. 
Although mouthguards are required in only four school-based sports: football, ice hockey, lacrosse, and field hockey, dental injuries can occur in many other sports. In fact, basketball and baseball are associated with the largest number of dental injuries.
The American Dental Association states that "while [the obvious] collision and contact sports... have inherent injury risks, dental injuries are also prevalent in non-contact activities and exercises such as gymnastics and skating." Other sports for which wearing a mouthguard is recommended include bicycling, soccer, skateboarding, wrestling and volleyball.
Just how prevalent are sports-related dental injuries? Recently, the National Youth Sports Safety Foundation forecasted more than 3 million teeth would be knocked out in youth sporting events for the year. Here's the good news- it is estimated that athletes who wear mouthguards are 60 times less likely to suffer dental injury than those who don't!
What type of mouthguard is best?
There are several types of mouthguards available to your patients in stores. As their dentist, you can inform them of the benefits of passing up the store-bought mouthguards and opting for a custom mouthguard that is custom-made and can only be obtained at your office.
The following is an overview of the options patients have when shopping for mouthguards. The special-made mouthguard that is designed to fit uniquely to the patient's mouth is the superior option because it is individually fabricated to fit like a glove. We encourage you to order custom mouthguards for your patients that are active in sports — and that you entrust us to fabricate them for you. Our athletic mouthguards are lightweight, yet strong. They deliver protection from dental injuries and can be worn comfortably. Call us to inquire about the colors and styles that we offer.
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A “one-size fits all” mouthguard. Available at many sporting goods stores, this type comes in a limited range of sizes, and varies widely in quality. The least expensive option, it offers a minimal level of protection that's probably better than nothing. It generally must be clenched in the mouth, which can make wearing it uncomfortable and cause trouble breathing and speaking.
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The “boil and bite” mouthguard. These are designed to be immersed in hot water, and then formed in the mouth using finger, tongue and bite pressure. When they can be made to fit adequately, they generally offer better protection than the first type—but they may still be uncomfortable, and usually fail to offer full coverage of the teeth.
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A custom-made mouthguard from Mike's Superior Dental Lab. This is a piece of quality sports equipment that is fabricated specifically to fit your patient's mouth. Send us your patient's impressions and we'll take care of the rest. We'll use high quality materials to create a tough, resilient mouthguard that offers your patient the maximum protection and superior comfort. A custom made mouthguard from Mike's Superior Dental Lab is just as important as any piece of equipment used in the sport.
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