Mouth Guards and braces.?!
Question: I just got braces today and I fear this may conflict with my hobbies (exercising, most notably Brazilian Jiu-jitsu)
Now when I go to BJJ practice I wrestle around with people on the floor, getting into all kinds of stances. Sometimes, alot of pressure is being put on my teeth area from the side, especially if a choke goes wrong and they end up digging into my mouth instead.
So how exactly do mouth guards for braces work? Do they totally protect it like from pressure like I require or are they just for shocks and stuff?
let's just say this, if I were a boxer, would my mouth guard ensure that my braces are safe?
Thanks alot for any help.
Answers: I just got braces today and I fear this may conflict with my hobbies (exercising, most notably Brazilian Jiu-jitsu)
Now when I go to BJJ practice I wrestle around with people on the floor, getting into all kinds of stances. Sometimes, alot of pressure is being put on my teeth area from the side, especially if a choke goes wrong and they end up digging into my mouth instead.
So how exactly do mouth guards for braces work? Do they totally protect it like from pressure like I require or are they just for shocks and stuff?
let's just say this, if I were a boxer, would my mouth guard ensure that my braces are safe?
Thanks alot for any help.
please disregard both of the other answers received please. They are extremely incorrect. First off for the love of god go to your dentist to get a custom fit mouthuard made. I am a dentist but I also have had braces when I was in high school. I was a wrestler and MMA hobbiest and I can tell you from first hand experiences braces and these sports do not mix. forearms, and elbows banging into your mouth can really tear up your soft tissue. also since you or your parents are investing so much time and money into your braces I would strongly encourage you to get a properly protective moutguard. If you get hit hard enough you will lose those front teeth. I work in pediatrics and I cannot tell you how many of my patients have lost their front teeth because they were wrestling or horsing around with out any protection. You are participating in a sports thats very violent and is extremely physical. Wax will not I repeat WILL NOT act as a mouthguard. a boil and bite mouthguard will not protect you. those things are complete trash. Studies have shown that they lose 95% of their effectiveness just by boiling them and forming them in your mouth. also since you have braces I guarantee you that if you try a boil and bite that material will become lodged around your braces and become extremly difficult to remove. See your dentist and talk to him/her about a custom mouthguard. There are techniques to block out the braces and make an appliance that will fit around your braces and still protect your teeth and soft tissue. or you can coordinate with your orthodontist to remove the wires and take an accurate dental impression to make the mouthguard. I will warn you that since our teeth will be shifting due to your orthodontic work you will probably need to have several mouthguards made while you are getting treatment. I hope this information helps.
Don't worry about damaging your braces - The only reason why they would break in the kinds of physical situations that you've described would be if your actual teeth were knocked out - Your mouth is going to be hurt before the braces are. You'll soon notice that in your mouth, where the metal of the braces meets your gum, that small welts have formed as your gum isn't used to this kind of foreign object. If pressure is going to be placed upon your mouth area, i would recommend asking your orthadontist for mouth wax - this is a form of mouldable wax placed over your braces to prevent them cutting your gum, and would serve as a mouth guard for sports as well.
However, If you have any kind of mouth guard that fits over your braces, it'll do the trick. If you were a boxer, your mouth guard would definitely ensure that your braces are kept safe - that's why they were invented.
Good luck!
Try a boil-and-bite mouth guard, like the ones football players wear to protect their teeth during practice and game play. They are available at sporting goods stores and relatively inexpensive. You boil it at home and conform it to your mouth. It will offer protection and is a good idea (highly recommended by dentists) even for athletes who do not have braces on. Good luck to you.