Mouthguard
Encyclopedia
Mouth
The mouth is the first portion of the alimentary canal that receives food andsaliva. The oral mucosa is the mucous membrane epithelium lining the inside of the mouth....
that covers the teeth and gums to prevent and reduce injury to the teeth, arches, lip
Lip
Lips are a visible body part at the mouth of humans and many animals. Lips are soft, movable, and serve as the opening for food intake and in the articulation of sound and speech...
s and gum
Gingiva
The gingiva , or gums, consists of the mucosal tissue that lies over the mandible and maxilla inside the mouth.-General description:...
s. Mouthguards are most often used to prevent injury in contact sports, as a treatment for bruxism
Bruxism
Bruxism is characterized by the grinding of the teeth and typically includes the clenching of the jaw. It is an oral parafunctional activity that occurs in most humans at some time in their lives. In most people, bruxism is mild enough not to be a health problem...
or TMD
Temporomandibular joint disorder
Temporomandibular joint disorder , or TMJ syndrome, is an umbrella term covering acute or chronic inflammation of the temporomandibular joint, which connects the mandible to the skull. The disorder and resultant dysfunction can result in significant pain and impairment...
, or as part of certain dental procedures, such as tooth bleaching
Tooth bleaching
Dental bleaching, also known as tooth whitening, is a common procedure in general dentistry but most especially in the field of cosmetic dentistry. A child's deciduous teeth are generally whiter than the adult teeth that follow. As a person ages the adult teeth often become darker due to changes in...
.
History
An early mouthguard was developed in 1890 by Woolf Krauze, a London dentist to protect boxers from lip cuts and lacerations. The modern mouthguard design started from the work in the 1970s done by Dr. Arthur W. S. Wood, a Canadian pediatric dentist who was aiming to reduce and prevent harm injuries to children's teeth in ice hockeyIce hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
games.
Indications
- Dental traumaDental traumaDental trauma refers to trauma to the face, mouth, and especially the teeth lips and periodontium. The study of dental trauma is called dental traumatology.- Types :* Tooth fractures**Enamel infraction**Enamel fracture**Enamel-dentine fracture...
- Mouthguards are used in sports where deliberate or accidental impacts to the face and jaw may cause harm. Such impacts may occur in many sports including: baseballBaseballBaseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, boxingBoxingBoxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
, mixed martial artsMixed martial artsMixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...
, puroresu, rugbyRugby footballRugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
, wrestlingWrestlingWrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...
, football (soccer), American footballAmerican footballAmerican football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, Australian football, lacrosseLacrosseLacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
, basketballBasketballBasketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, figure skatingFigure skatingFigure skating is an Olympic sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform spins, jumps, footwork and other intricate and challenging moves on ice skates. Figure skaters compete at various levels from beginner up to the Olympic level , and at local, national, and international competitions...
, hockeyHockeyHockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.-Etymology:...
, underwater hockeyUnderwater hockeyUnderwater hockey is a global non-contact sport in which two teams compete to maneuver a puck across the bottom of a swimming pool into goals.-Play:...
, Field HockeyField hockeyField Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
water poloWater poloWater polo is a team water sport. The playing team consists of six field players and one goalkeeper. The winner of the game is the team that scores more goals. Game play involves swimming, treading water , players passing the ball while being defended by opponents, and scoring by throwing into a...
, skiingSkiingSkiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
, and snowboardingSnowboardingSnowboarding is a sport that involves descending a slope that is covered with snow on a snowboard attached to a rider's feet using a special boot set onto mounted binding. The development of snowboarding was inspired by skateboarding, sledding, surfing and skiing. It was developed in the U.S.A...
. Mouthguards may also prevent or reduce harm levels of concussion in the event of an injury to the jaw. In many sports, the rules of the sport make their use compulsory, or local health laws demand them. Schools also often have rules requiring their use. Studies in various high risk populations for dentalDentalThe word dental is used for things pertaining to teeth and could refer to:* Dentistry, a medical profession**Dental Auxiliary*** Dental hygienist, a licensed practitioner*** Dental technician...
injuries are repeatedly reporting of a low complianceComplianceCompliance can mean:*In mechanical science, the inverse of stiffness*Compliance , a patient's adherence to a recommended course of treatment...
of individuals for the regular using of mouthguard during activities. Moreover, even with regular use, effectiveness in prevention on dental traumaDental traumaDental trauma refers to trauma to the face, mouth, and especially the teeth lips and periodontium. The study of dental trauma is called dental traumatology.- Types :* Tooth fractures**Enamel infraction**Enamel fracture**Enamel-dentine fracture...
is not complete, and injuries can still occur even when mouthguards are used as users are not always aware of the best makes or size, which inevitably result in a poor fit.
- Mouthguards are used in sports where deliberate or accidental impacts to the face and jaw may cause harm. Such impacts may occur in many sports including: baseball
- Oral medicineOral medicineOral medicine is the dental specialty placed at the interface between medicine and dentistry.- Scope :Oral medicine is concerned with diagnosis and non-surgical management of non-dental pathology affecting the oral and maxillofacial region, such as oral lichen planus, Behçet's disease and pemphigus...
- Mouthguards may be used as splintsSplint (medicine)A splint is a device used for support or immobilization of limbs or of the spine.It can be used:* By the emergency medical services or by volunteer first responders, to immobilize a fractured limb before the transportation; it is then a temporary immobilization;* By allied health professionals such...
to reduce strain over the temporomandibular jointTemporomandibular jointThe temporomandibular joint is the joint of the jaw and is frequently referred to as TMJ. There are two TMJs, one on either side, working in unison. The name is derived from the two bones which form the joint: the upper temporal bone which is part of the cranium , and the lower jaw bone called the...
in temporomandibular joint disorderTemporomandibular joint disorderTemporomandibular joint disorder , or TMJ syndrome, is an umbrella term covering acute or chronic inflammation of the temporomandibular joint, which connects the mandible to the skull. The disorder and resultant dysfunction can result in significant pain and impairment... - To prevent tooth attrition in bruxismBruxismBruxism is characterized by the grinding of the teeth and typically includes the clenching of the jaw. It is an oral parafunctional activity that occurs in most humans at some time in their lives. In most people, bruxism is mild enough not to be a health problem...
- To deliver topical medication (e.g., corticosteroids) for chronic gingival diseases such as mucous membrane pemphigoid.
- Mouthguards may be used as splints
- Dental aesthetics
- During tooth bleachingTooth bleachingDental bleaching, also known as tooth whitening, is a common procedure in general dentistry but most especially in the field of cosmetic dentistry. A child's deciduous teeth are generally whiter than the adult teeth that follow. As a person ages the adult teeth often become darker due to changes in...
- As a night protector of thin porcelain bridges
- During tooth bleaching
- orthodonticsOrthodonticsOrthodontics, orthodontia, or orthodonture is the first specialty of dentistry that is concerned with the study and treatment of malocclusions , which may be a result of tooth irregularity, disproportionate jaw relationships, or both...
- InvisalignInvisalignInvisalign is a series of clear, removable teeth aligners that both orthodontists and dentists use as an alternative to traditional metal dental braces. As of April 2008, more than 730,000 patients have completed or are currently in treatment....
, a substitute for brackets and acrylicAcryl groupIn organic chemistry, the acryloyl group is the functional group with structure H2C=CH–C–; it is the acyl group derived from acrylic acid. The preferred IUPAC name for the group is prop-2-enoyl, and it is also known as acrylyl or simply acryl...
plates
- Invisalign
Stock or ready made
Manufactured in a pre-formed shape in various sizes but with nearly no adjustment to fit the user's mouth. The only adjustment possible is minor trimming with a knife or scissors.Mouth adapted or "boil and bite"
A thermo-plastic material manufactured in a pre-formed shape in various sizes that can be adapted to fit more closely to an individual's teeth and gums by heating and molding such as boiling then placing in the mouth. Some are now available that incorporate special fins within the fitting zones which increase retention and give an improved fit over tradition boil and bite mouth types. Guards are usually made of Ethylene-vinyl acetateEthylene-vinyl acetate
Ethylene vinyl acetate is the copolymer of ethylene and vinyl acetate. The weight percent vinyl acetate usually varies from 10 to 40%, with the remainder being ethylene....
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/5339832.htmlhttp://www.freepatentsonline.com/4044762.html. This is the most popular mouthguard used by amateur and semi-professional sportsmen, providing adequate protection but relatively low comfort in comparison to the custom made guard.and they keep your gums safe from harm