Sports Dentistry | Grand Rapids, MI

If you play a contact sport, you’ll need to have a conversation with our Grand Rapids sports dentist about protecting your teeth.

A blow to the head while playing hockey or football can knock out or fracture teeth. To protect your smile while you play, we recommend getting fitted for a custom mouth guard.

The cost of a custom mouth guard is far overshadowed by the cost to repair broken or knocked out teeth. Tooth restoration procedures can also interfere with your ability to participate in sports.

Benefits of Mouth Guards

A mouth guard made by our Grand Rapids dentist is custom fit to your teeth for the ultimate protection. This also means that you’ll be able to breathe and talk normally. A custom mouth guard prevents or minimizes sports dental injuries. The perfect mouth guard should be durable, comfortable, and easy to clean.

Mouth Guards for Braces

If you or your child has braces or another fixed dental appliance, you’ll still need to wear mouth guards while playing sports. The stock mouth guards you can buy at sporting good stores won’t offer the protection you need when you’re getting slammed to the ground on the football field. Our dentist for athletes will be able to create a mouth guard that protects your lower teeth as well.

Since braces are designed to move your teeth into optimal alignment, you’ll need a custom fit mouth guard. Otherwise, a one-size-fits-all mouth guard could damage the brackets and undo any progress made with orthodontic treatment.

Alexandra Dodds DDS is a dedicated sports dentist who prevents oral injuries from interfering with an athlete’s season. If you are interested in learning more about mouth guards for football, boxing, and other contact sports, call our Grand Rapids dental practice at (616) 245-3205.