Mouth Guards in Pflugerville, TX

Protecting Smiles with Custom Mouth Guards

When we talk about protecting oral health, you probably think of brushing and flossing. However, the oral structure encompasses more than teeth, and bacteria is just one of many potential causes of harm. Oral appliances, usually called mouth guards, can help prevent jaw pain, injury, and much more. Dr. Lakshay Sharma offers a couple of types of custom mouth guards.

Night Guards

This type of mouth guard essentially protects you from yourself. Stress is an unavoidable part of modern life, and it can result in unconscious self-destructive habits. One of the most common, known as nighttime bruxism, is clenching or grinding teeth while sleeping. Because you aren’t awake when it happens, you might not even know that you are doing it. You might feel symptoms such as soreness in the jaw area, and your dentist will certainly see the telltale signs of uneven and premature tooth wear. You have a finite amount of natural tooth structure. When it’s gone, it’s gone. That is why it is important to stop bruxism-related wear and tear before it gets worse.

Once bruxism is diagnosed, Dr. Sharma can make you a night guard, which is very customized for optimal fit. You simply need to wear it each night while sleeping, and it will stop the grinding. The potential benefits of night guards include:

Preserve remaining tooth structure
Stop the jaw pain and tooth soreness associated with bruxism
Avoid fractures and cracked teeth, which can be caused by grinding
Prevent veneers or other restorations from being damaged during sleep

Sports Mouth Guards

If you or your child play sports, then you are probably familiar with athletic mouth guards. Popular “boil and bite” styles are sold at most major retailers and sporting goods stores. They serve a purpose but don’t offer the highest level of protection for intense contact sports, and they might not be the most comfortable thing to wear. A mouth guard from Elite Smiles of Pflugerville is individually made just for you, providing a much higher level of customization than a boiling can.

Dr. Sharma strongly advises patients of all ages to take athletic protective gear seriously. He can speak from experience. As a former college football player, he knows very well how brutal contact sports are. The advantages of a professionally made, high-quality athletic mouth guard include:

Precision fit offers the best protection against oral injury
Improved comfort means you can focus on the game without distractions
Studies have shown that the thickness of mouth guard material correlates to the level of protection

Guard Against Oral Injury

Whether the threat to your smile is an intense contact sport or your own habits during sleep, we can help. Give us a call and schedule an appointment today.