Custom Mouthguards Armadale
Protect your jaw and teeth while you sleep or play sports.
What is a custom-fitted mouthguard?
A custom-fitted mouthguard is a protective oral device tailored by a dentist to fit an individual’s teeth and mouth perfectly. Unlike over-the-counter options, it is made using a precise mould of the patient’s teeth, ensuring optimal comfort, fit, and protection.
Custom mouthguards are commonly used by athletes to prevent injuries, such as chipped teeth and soft tissue damage. They can benefit those who grind their teeth (bruxism) or need extra protection during certain treatments.
To manufacture a custom-fitted mouthguard we need to take an impression of your teeth which we send to our laboratory and then you can return a few days later for a fitting.
Custom mouthguards are important because the purpose of a mouthguard is to distribute force evenly to all teeth if you suffer a blow. If the mouthguard does not fit well then, those forces can be concentrated on individual teeth and result in the very thing you were trying to prevent—tooth breakage.
If you play contact sports then we advise the use of a custom fitted sports mouthguard. Committing to a custom-fitted mouthguard is the best way to keep your teeth safe from injury.
It is always a sad day when a patient presents with broken front teeth and unfortunately commits them to a lifetime of significant and expensive dental treatment.
The benefits of a custom-fitted mouthguard
Custom mouthguards are essential for safeguarding your teeth and gums, especially when engaging in high-impact sports or protecting against bruxism (teeth grinding) during sleep.
Minimises and avoids damage: Custom-made mouthguards are the gold standard in minimising and avoiding damage from sports-related injuries, as their tight fit ensures teeth have a good layer of protection and that they can’t move during an impact.
Enhanced comfort: Since it is crafted specifically for your mouth, a custom mouthguard offers unmatched comfort, making it easier to breathe and speak compared to generic alternatives.
Avoids costly, painful repairs: From chipped and broken teeth to knocked out teeth that require emergency dental treatment, a custom-made mouthguard can save you from expensive treatments in the future.
How does a dental mouthguard work?
You might be required to wear a custom mouthguard to play your chosen sport, or your dentist might recommend one to help protect your teeth during sleep if you have bruxism.
During your mouthguard appointment, your dentist will take impressions of your teeth. To do this, you will bite down into a soft clay-like material, and hold this pose for a minute or two. The dentist will remove the new impression and send it away to a lab.
It will usually take a week or two for the lab to create a custom-made mouthguard for your teeth. They will work with instructions from your dentist, which could mean adding a hard insert for very high-impact sports.
Once the mouthguard is ready, you will return to your dentist to pick it up and ensure it fits well. If you wear it often for regular sports, you may be advised to replace it once per year, but it’s important to bring your mouthguard to future dental check-ups so your dentist can check and ensure its strength and integrity.
What happens during your mouthguard appointment?
Getting a custom mouthguard is one of the quickest and easiest dental appointments you’ll ever go to. Here’s what to expect:
- Brush and floss before your appointment
- The dentist will take impressions of your teeth using a soft clay-like material
- Once the impression is taken, you're done with the appointment, which takes around 20 minutes.
- The mouthguard will be ready for pickup in one to two weeks, and your dentist will verify the fit at that time.
If you need a custom mouthguard to play sports or need a bruxism mouthguard, get in touch with our friendly team to schedule an appointment.
Want to learn more?
A well-fitted, custom made mouthguard can protect your teeth and jaw by limiting the impact from contact and reducing the risk of damage to your teeth. Without one, sportspeople run the risk of damaging, chipping, breaking, or even knocking out their teeth, which can be a painful and costly problem to fix.
If you need a custom mouthguard to play sports or need a bruxism mouthguard, get in touch with our friendly team to schedule an appointment.
Frequently asked questions
Custom mouthguards usually cost between $200 and $350, and are typically tailored for a more comfortable fit and better protection.
If you have dental extras, many health funds will cover the cost of a custom-fitted mouthguard. Check with your health fund provider to see what you are covered for.
Yes. You can get a mouthguard for grinding teeth. Those with bruxism typically grind their teeth during sleep when they are unable to stop this damaging habit consciously.
While you work on methods to stop the grinding, you can wear a custom mouthguard to protect your teeth from wearing down during sleep.
If snoring means you or your partner are kept awake during the night, you should first check with your general practitioner in case obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is the cause. It's important to get a diagnosis, as OSA can be dangerous and lead to accidents due to lack of sleep.
If you have obstructive sleep apnoea and it’s not severe, your dentist may suggest a custom-fitted mouthguard that will help prevent snoring. These oral appliances are used in conjunction with other methods of treatment including assisting weight loss, exercise, and adjusting your sleeping position.
A mouthguard in sports is designed to minimise and potentially completely avoid any damage to your teeth and gums. Many sports with high levels of physical contact, such as rugby and hockey, require players to wear mouthguards in order to protect teeth.
A good mouthguard will do this by adding a thick layer of protective plastic around your teeth, so even if you have a collision with another player, get tackled, or have some other physical clash, your teeth have a layer of plastic around them to absorb some of the shock, much like a helmet does for your head.
This minimises the risk of chipped and cracked teeth as well as broken and knocked out teeth.
No, it is not a good idea to sleep with your sports mouthguard in. If you need a mouthguard to help with bruxism (clenching or grinding in your sleep), you must use a mouthguard specifically made for this issue.
That’s because a bruxism night guard and a sports mouthguard are designed to be different.
A bruxism night guard does not cover your gums, so can be worn comfortably for long periods of time without risking your gum health. Night guards are also less thick and bulky for more comfortable wear, and are perforated with holes to allow water and saliva to pass through more easily and avoid bacteria building up.
Overall, only use a sports mouthguard for sports, and switch to a custom-made night guard for sleeping.
Technically speaking, a mouthguard will not stop you from clenching your teeth. However, it will protect your teeth from wearing down due to clenching or teeth grinding.
Your dentist will work with you to find solutions to help you keep from clenching, such as finding ways to reduce your stress, so that you no longer need a mouthguard to protect your teeth.