Orange County has no shortage of athletes. From youth soccer leagues in Mission Viejo to club lacrosse teams in Rancho Santa Margarita and high school football at Trabuco Hills and Capistrano Valley, sport is part of the fabric of life here. And with sport comes contact, speed, falls, and the occasional elbow or ball to the face. Dental injuries are among the most common sports injuries in young and adult athletes alike, and the majority of them are entirely preventable. A custom sport mouthguard from a sport mouthguard protects not just the teeth but the jaw, lips, and the soft tissue around them. This is what every active person in Mission Viejo, CA should know.
Key Takeaways
• Dental injuries account for a significant percentage of all sport injuries in contact and collision sports.
• A custom sport mouthguard fitted by a dentist provides far superior protection than any over-the-counter option.
• Mouthguards protect against tooth fractures, avulsions, soft tissue lacerations, and can reduce the risk of concussion in some scenarios.
• An athletic mouth guard custom made to your teeth fits comfortably, stays in place, and allows normal breathing and communication.
• Oso Marguerite Dental in Mission Viejo, CA creates custom sport mouthguards for athletes of all ages and levels.
Why Sport Mouthguards Matter More Than Most Athletes Think
The American Dental Association estimates that athletes who don’t wear mouthguards are 60 times more likely to sustain dental injuries than those who do. A single avulsed tooth, one that is completely knocked out, requires emergency care, potential reimplantation, or a dental implant process that can span months and cost several thousand dollars. A custom mouthguard costs a fraction of that and takes two short appointments to produce.
Beyond tooth fractures and avulsions, a well-fitted mouthguard protects the lips and cheeks from lacerations against the teeth during impact, cushions the jaw joint during collisions, and may reduce the transmission of concussive forces to the skull in certain impact scenarios.
Why Custom Sport Mouthguards Outperform Store-Bought
Stock mouthguards from sporting goods stores offer minimal protection and significant drawbacks:
• They don’t fit the specific contours of your teeth and jaw, so they shift during play
• The loose fit forces athletes to clench the guard with their teeth to keep it in, interfering with breathing and communication
• The bulky material required to compensate for poor fit reduces comfort and leads to athletes removing them mid-play
• Protection is inconsistent because the guard doesn’t maintain full contact with the teeth during impact
An athletic mouth guard custom fabricated at Oso Marguerite Dental in Mission Viejo, CA is made from precise impressions of your teeth. It fits snugly, stays in place without clenching, and is thin enough to speak and breathe normally while wearing it. Athletes who switch from store-bought to custom consistently report forgetting they’re wearing it, which means they actually keep it in.
Which Sports Require a Mouthguard?
The American Dental Association recommends mouthguards for any sport that involves a risk of contact with another person, equipment, or hard surfaces. That list includes:
• Football, rugby, and hockey: Required or strongly recommended at most levels of competition
• Basketball and soccer: High rates of dental injury despite not being classified as collision sports
• Baseball and softball: Bat impacts and collisions are common sources of dental trauma
• Martial arts and boxing: Direct facial contact is frequent
• Gymnastics, skateboarding, and BMX: Falls with hard surfaces carry significant injury risk
• Lacrosse and field hockey: Stick and ball contact frequently involves the face
If your sport involves any possibility of impact to the face, a mouthguard is a reasonable precaution regardless of what the rules require.
How a Custom Mouthguard Is Made
The process at Oso Marguerite Dental in Mission Viejo, CA is quick and straightforward:
• Impressions or digital scans are taken of the upper teeth at the first appointment
• The guard is fabricated from the model to precisely match the patient’s bite and arch shape
• The finished guard is fitted and adjusted at a second appointment for comfort and proper occlusion
• Thickness and material can be adjusted based on the sport and the level of contact involved
Caring for Your Custom Mouthguard
A well-maintained guard lasts one to two seasons for most athletes. Care is simple:
• Rinse with cold water before and after each use, never hot water which can distort the material
• Brush the guard gently with a soft toothbrush and mild soap, not toothpaste which is abrasive
• Store in the ventilated case provided to prevent bacterial buildup and allow drying
• Keep out of direct sunlight and away from heat sources such as car dashboards
• Bring the guard to checkup appointments at Oso Marguerite Dental in Mission Viejo, CA so the fit can be evaluated as the dentition changes
When to Get a New Guard
Replace your custom sport mouthguard when:
• Visible wear, holes, or thinning appear on the surface
• The guard no longer fits snugly or has become loose
• A child’s guard no longer fits due to new teeth erupting or growth changes
• The guard has been exposed to extreme heat or has warped
Train Hard. Play Safe. Protect Your Teeth.
Every athlete in Orange County who plays without a mouthguard is one contact away from a dental injury that could have been prevented in a single appointment. It’s one of the easiest, most cost-effective things an athlete of any age can do to protect their long-term health.
Oso Marguerite Dental is located at 26932 Oso Pkwy, Suite 280, in Mission Viejo, CA, close to Trabuco Hills High School, Capistrano Valley High School, and athletic facilities throughout the south Orange County corridor.
Call now at (949) 682-3535 or contact us online to get fitted for custom sport mouthguards at Oso Marguerite Dental in Mission Viejo, CA.
References
1. American Dental Association: Mouthguards
2. American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry: Sport Mouthguards
4. PubMed: Efficacy of Custom vs Stock Mouthguards
