Cool New Findings About a Common Dental Device | Hill Dental Studio
Cool New Findings About a Common Dental Device
According to a new study, the name “mouth guard” may be a bit of a misnomer. That’s because the study found that athletes who used custom-fit sports mouth guards benefited from those mouth guards in numerous ways – beyond just their oral health.
One of the most impressive findings of the study was that by using a mouth guard, not only did athletes who wore the guard during sports protect their teeth but they also often protected their entire face! Confused? It’s all about alignment. When you wear a mouth guard and, say, take a hit to the face at football practice, your jaw is in proper alignment. Naturally, your teeth are protected from whatever blow is dealt to you. But it goes beyond that. Because the guard is holding your jaw in place, you are better equipped to take the impact, and a tooth that may have otherwise gotten chipped, leading to a host of other medical problems, never gets chipped.
Another really cool bonus to wearing mouth guards is that the alignment of the jaw benefits the posture and thus the stamina of the player. In fact, in the original study, players who wore mouth guards when they normally didn’t play better than they had played when they didn’t use a mouth guard! How’s that for impressive?
So, to recap, mouth guards not only protect your teeth, but also your overall health, and they improve your athletic performance, too. Ready for your own custom mouth guard? Give Dr. Hill’s office a call at 469-393-2449.