Customized Mouthguards Can Protect Your Oral Health

Mouthguards provided by our Wichita, KS, practice are a simple and affordable preventive measure used to provide protection in contact sports or to avoid teeth grinding and jaw clenching while sleeping. Using high-quality materials, Dr. Nordhus will create your customized mouthguard to provide optimal comfort and protection. If you wake up with a sore jaw and neck or are suffering from chronic headaches, you may unknowingly grind your teeth at night. If left untreated, this can lead to serious oral health issues such as cracked or worn teeth and temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder. 

What Are Mouthguards?

If you play contact sports such as football or hockey, a mouthguard should be an essential part of your athletic gear. Mouthguards can protect your teeth, lips, gums, and jawbone from lacerations and fractures. Although over-the-counter mouthguards are available at your local sporting goods store, these can be uncomfortable, ill-fitting, and make it difficult to breathe and communicate with your teammates. Over-the-counter mouthguards do not offer the same level of comfort and protection that custom-made dental mouthguards do. 

The primary benefit of wearing a mouthguard is protecting your oral health and preventing damage from occurring.

A mouthguard can also be worn when you sleep as an effective treatment for TMJ disorder or bruxism (teeth grinding and jaw clenching). These dental appliances fit over the top of your teeth and prevent wear and tear, fractures, and decay.

Creating Your Mouthguard

At Nordhus Dentistry, we provide two different types of dental appliances designed for the highest level of protection. Both offer a more comfortable fit than over-the-counter mouthguards:

• Contact Sports Mouthguard: This mouthguard is made with thin, BPA-free, hardened plastic, designed just thick enough to protect your upper teeth and gums yet thin enough for clear communication and breathing. For adolescent patients, a contact sports mouthguard can also be designed to fit over braces.
• Nightguard: Also made with BPA-free plastic, a nightguard will create a soft, cushioned resting place for your teeth and jaws, preventing teeth grinding and jaw clenching. Within a few nights of wearing it, you will likely begin to experience a reduction in jaw pain and other symptoms.

To create your customized mouthguard, Dr. Nordhus will take digital impressions of your teeth with our iTero™ intraoral digital scanner. For our young patients, Dr. Nordhus will take any developing teeth into consideration so your mouthguard will comfortably fit over growing teeth. Once the impressions have been taken, he will send them to a state-of-the-art lab where technicians will use the digital images to design your oral device. In most cases, your device will be ready in approximately one to two weeks.

Schedule Your Consultation

If you play contact sports, or have been diagnosed with TMJ disorder, we can provide you with a customized mouthguard to protect your oral health. Contact our office today to schedule your consultation with Dr. Nordhus. Using state-of-the-art materials, he can customize a dental appliance that will safeguard your oral health from trauma and prevent teeth grinding and jaw clenching from developing into a more serious condition.