This is an automatically translated article.
The article is professionally consulted by Master, Doctor Dang Tien Dat - Doctor of Odonto-Stomatology - Department of Medical Examination and Internal Medicine - Vinmec Ha Long International General Hospital.Jaw guards help reduce the incidence and risk of oral injuries that can occur during sports. In addition, the jaw guard also acts as a tooth guard while sleeping, effectively preventing teeth grinding.
1. The effect of the jaw guard
Jaw guards have an extremely important effect in protecting teeth from injuries when playing contact sports such as boxing, hockey, lacrosse, football and even other sports. non-contact sports such as basketball, skateboarding, gymnastics,... Jaw guards help protect soft tissues in the mouth as well as lips and cheeks from being bitten by teeth, especially those who are wearing orthodontic appliances.
Dụng cụ bảo vệ hàm giúp bảo vệ răng miệng khi chơi thể thao
Another use of a jaw guard is that it acts as a mouth guard while sleeping, helping to prevent bruxism. Grinding your teeth while sleeping can cause toothache, jaw pain, sore gums, and possibly damage to your teeth. The mouth guard helps to separate the upper and lower teeth from contacting each other, thereby avoiding teeth grinding and preventing tooth damage from grinding.
In addition, wearing a jaw guard as a mouth guard while sleeping helps reduce snoring and sleep apnea by pulling the lower jaw forward, keeping the airway open.
2. What types of jaw guards are there?
There are three types of mouthguards: ready-made mouthguards, mouth-formed mouthguards. boil-and-bite” mouthguard) and custom-made mouthguards. While these types of devices have the effect of protecting the jaw, they vary greatly in price, durability, and comfort in use.
Pre-made jaw guards are commonly sold at sporting goods stores, usually in three fixed sizes, small, medium, and large. The advantage of this type of instrument is that it is cheap and easy to buy, but they rarely fit, the wearer may have pronunciation deviations, difficulty breathing. This type of thermal mouth guard has a better fit in the mouth because the device is sold as a liner, when placed in the mouth, the lining material leaves imprints on the teeth and hardens, the material is removed and immersed in water. Boil for 10-45 seconds, then switch to cold water soak and then it's ready to use. This is the type of jaw guard that is chosen by most sports people, but compared to a jaw guard designed specifically for each person, the fit and durability of this type is not equal.
Dentist-made custom-made mouthguards have the most advantages. The doctor designs the instrument according to the characteristics of each individual's teeth, so it fits perfectly, the instrument fits tightly around the mouth, so it does not affect speech and breathing. The tool is made of high quality materials, so it is durable and comfortable and pleasant to wear. However, this is the most expensive type of jaw guard of all.
Dụng cụ bảo vệ hàm do nha sĩ thiết kế có nhiều ưu điểm nhất
When choosing a mouthguard, you should consider and discuss with your dentist a number of factors such as:
At what stage are your teeth developing, are they completely permanent teeth or are they still growing? during tooth replacement. The nature of the sport you are playing, do you have to perform confrontational collisions such as paintings, throws, and ball shots with other people. Level of sport is amateur or professional Do you have any special dental problems, do you have braces, crowns or orthodontic braces? Jaw guards need to be modified to enhance protection for these problems.
3. How to care for the jaw guard
To keep the mouth guard clean, durable and safe to use, you need to clean and store it properly:
Rinse the device with clean water or mouthwash before and after use. Then leave the tool in a dry place, avoid mold, avoid direct sunlight or put on hot surfaces, soak in boiling water because high temperature can deform the tool. Do not chew or shred the tool. Regularly check the tool, see if it is torn, punctured or loose when worn. Deteriorated jaw guards will not guarantee effective protection when playing sports, and can also cause irritation to the gums, soft tissues in the mouth, lips and cheeks. If not used frequently, keep the jaw guard in a vented box. The vent helps to circulate air to the inside of the box, avoiding damage to the tool. More than 200,000 maxillofacial and oral injuries occur each year during sports activities. Protective gear helps reduce the incidence and severity of possible injury. An athlete without a mouth guard is 60 times more likely to have a tooth injury than a protected athlete. Wearing a jaw guard while playing sports should be done as early as possible, even at an early age, to become a good habit, actively and voluntarily implemented when growing up.
Master, Doctor Dang Tien Dat graduated with a master's degree in Odonto-Stomatology at Hanoi Medical University. Dr. Dat has strengths in: performing wisdom tooth extraction procedures, root canal treatment, tartar removal, gentle tooth filling, minimal trauma, helping patients to minimize pain; Design and make beautiful porcelain teeth. Currently, dentist Dat is working at the Department of Odonto-Stomatology, Vinmec Ha Long International Hospital.
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