What are Gum Shields
If you’re very active and you love running, playing football, it’s paramount that you consider the potential for injuries to your mouth and teeth, so protecting them should be a top priority. As the most common injuries are fractured tooth roots involving central incisors and cuts to the lips and tissue inside of your mouth, a gum shield will protect your mouth and teeth from a sports-related concussion, especially if you have traditional braces.
Gum shields are used for rugby, hurling, garlic football, boxing, basketball, hockey, football, and martial arts. They work by distributing the force of a blow evenly and dispersing the impact forces, thus protecting the teeth and mandibular temporal joint, as well as the soft tissues in your mouth.
Gum Shields
Types of injuries
They move soft tissue in the oral cavity away from the teeth, thus preventing laceration of the lips and cheeks, especially if you wear fixed braces.
- It protects your teeth against blows so as not to lose any frontal tooth
- It minimises the risk of injuries to your lips, tongue, face or jaw
- It reduces the damaging force so that it’s less probable that you lose your consciousness
- It helps you not to have chipped or broken teeth
Types of gum shields
The mouth guard, often referred to as a “gum shield”, is a flexible dental appliance that offers protection to your teeth and soft mouth tissues when worn. The gum shield is a piece of your athletic equipment for any person participating in contact sports. There are three types of it:
Pre-formed mouthguards
They may be a faster solution, but they don’t usually fit very well. They are usually bulky and uncomfortable.
“Boil and bite” gum shields
They are purchased in a preformed shape that can be altered to get a more custom fit. They can be a good stopgap for children losing baby teeth very rapidly. They are sold in sporting stores and pharmacies.
Personalised or custom gum shields
They are designed to fit perfectly on your teeth and mouth, thanks to a series of impressions taken by us and sent to the laboratory to be made. They offer the best protection and comfort, as they are personalised mouthguards.
Why are Gum Shields Important?
Sports injuries account for around 1/3 of all traumatic dental injuries in children and adults. If you don’t wear them and you regularly practice sports such as boxing, rugby, football, motocross, football, especially if you wear orthodontics, you will probably have your teeth, lips, mouth or cheeks injured.
If you use them, you can protect them against such damage, as they cushion and distribute the blow on a broader surface. A proper gumshield is the best way to limit the damage.
Looking for more information on Gum Shields?
What are Nightguards
If you woke up from a poor night’s sleep to discover your jaw feels sore, you might be grinding your teeth while you sleep. When this issue becomes regular, then it’s called sleep bruxism. Nightguards are treatments for this.
Nightguards are soft or hard plastic pieces that cover either the top or bottom set of teeth. They cushion your teeth from the force of clenching, preventing headaches, damaged teeth, inflamed gums and the bother of waking up in pain.
Nightguards against night-time grinding differ from the gum shields, which are sports guards. Anti-grinding devices are meant to be used when sleeping. They protect your teeth from tenderness or fractures, tooth sensitivity, sore muscles in the face or limited mouth opening, which are issues that may arise from grinding.
What is Bruxism?
According to the American Academy of Oral Medicine, teeth grinding is common among children and adults at times. If you feel chipped teeth, waking up with headaches, inflammation of the jaw due to clenching or chronic grinding, you may have bruxism.
Bruxism is the involuntary act of grinding teeth at night. It can lead to progressive wear of the teeth, cause a profound deterioration in sleep quality, and consequences on daytime performance. It’s often detected by the dentist, who observes on the teeth the damage caused by this disorder, so don’t hesitate to contact us, College Gate Dental Clinic, and we will take action.
Why are Grinding Devices important?
Although they do not solve the causes of bruxism, which may be psychological or physical, they keep the effects in control and reduce tooth damage, reducing pain, tooth wear, tooth rupture, and headache. At College Gate Dental Cline, we provide you with a solution against the bothering results of bruxism, leading to other issues.
Questions about Gum Shields & Nightguards?
– Scrub your nightguard after every use with effervescent pads for dentures (non-abrasive toothpaste or general liquid soap works as well).
– Remove any obvious debris using a soft bristle brush.
– Place it in its container when you are not wearing it.
– Do not use hot water to clean it and keep it out of the sun.
– Replace it regularly.
A “breaking in” process is required when you use a “boil and bite” type of gum shield. This type involves placing it in very hot water, waiting to cool down a bit, then placing it over your teeth and pushing down to mould the soft inner layer to the teeth. These are usually problematic, as they tend to be too small. With a custom fit gum shield, there is no need for such a process, and it will fit perfectly.
You need to wear it consistently every night to make it a habit. At first, it’s weird to sleep with plastic in your mouth, but in the end, you will get used to it! You will need to clean it regularly and take good care of it. If you have any problems or doubts, don’t hesitate to contact us and we will explain everything in detail.
No! Normally, your mouthguard it’s too large to choke on, so you don’t need to worry. An anti-grinding device covers all your upper teeth so that the pressure is well distributed and there is no problem. If your nightguard is loose, then you need to contact us, and we will replace it right away.
“Mouthguard” is the general term to refer to the nightguards and the gum shields. It’s a device used during sporting activities to protect the hard and soft tissues of your mouth from any trauma that may otherwise arise.
Mouthguards cannot be repaired, so you need to contact us, and we will make another one for you, as it won’t work properly and it’s dangerous to use it broken, since a bit may come loose.
It depends if it is a custom made mouthguard or a disposable shop-bought mouthguard. Shop bought mouthguards are very cheap but do not fit well custom made mouthguards range from 100-150 euros
The appliance of a nightguard is to prevent your teeth from grinding so that you won’t have headaches or jaw pain. There are other options, like dental correction, therapy or reductive coronoplasty.
Bruxism has no relationship with hearing problems but with the jaw. It’s the jaw that makes you have an earache, so when the jaws move, the muscle that connects to the ear suffers as well.
– Get a nightguard
– Relax before bed
– Massage your jaw muscles
– Exercise
– Start seeing a physical therapist
Most people are unaware of grinding, as they are sleeping when it happens. However, you can notice the effects, like headache, jaw tenderness or wear on your teeth.
Nightguards protect against teeth grinding or bruxism. This sleep guard prevents damage to your teeth that may otherwise show if you don’t use it. A sports mouth guard or gum shield offers protection against blows during sportive activities, limiting the damaging forces from cutting the soft tissues of your mouth.
If you leave bruxism untreated, it can lead to a bigger risk for decay, it can erode the chewing surfaces of your teeth and cause fractured and chipped teeth and tooth loss in some cases.
Gum Shield Cost
| Treatment | Price | |
|---|---|---|
| Routine Exam | ||
| Exam, diagnosis and treatment plan | €50 | |
| Exam, PRSI | Free | |
| Exam (8 years and under) | €30 | |
| Exam (9-16 years old) incl. OPG | €50 | |
| Exam Specialist |
€50 | |
| Exam with Prescription | €70 | |
| Exam Emergency | €50 | |
| X-Ray |
||
| Small |
€10 |
|
| Large |
€50 | |
| Nervous Patient Consultation** | ||
| Consultation with specialist | €50 | |
| Sedation | €350 |
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Ready to get Gum Shields or Nightguards?
You want to protect your mouth and teeth from a sports-related concussion, so you might need one of those gum shields that we wear when playing soccer. It’s especially important if you have traditional braces because the chances for an injury are increased. On the other hand, if you woke up from a poor night’s sleep to discover your jaw feels sore, never fear! You might be grinding your teeth while you sleep. This is called “bruxism,” and nightguards are treatments for this. Make sure to schedule an appointment with us today so we can help fix that problem too! We want all our patients’ smiles to look their best at all times. If you need more information, please contact us at College Gate Dental Clinic. We would love to help!
Call us, email us or visit us to discuss your treatment options, we have a wide range of dental experts which you can choose from, with over 20 years of experience, you know you are in good hands.