Brazilian dental studies have researched why mouthguards work and how they prevent teeth and bones from breaking during sports collisions. The Sacramento Dentistry Group provides much information about mouthguards on their website.
SACRAMENTO, Calif., March 5, 2019 (Newswire.com) - Brazilian dental research recently demonstrated the effectiveness of customized mouthguards, compared to generic mouthguards. The Sacramento Dentistry Group has often written that customized mouthguards are significantly better at distributing stresses that might otherwise break teeth or cut soft tissues. Both types of mouthguards, however, are much better than no mouthguard.
Studying Mouthguards
Testing the limits of mouthguards on human subjects would be painful and obviously unethical. Therefore, the researchers made exact models of the human skull with real teeth inserted into the jaws. These models were then struck with steel balls at specific strengths, all the way up to 500 newtons of force. That’s the equivalent of having approximately fifty one-liter water bottles dropped on you, but only on a very concentrated area, so it’s a considerable amount of force. Forces greater than this, however, are experienced in various contact sports like boxing, football, and hockey, or when athletes strike a hard surface.
What the researchers demonstrated was that mouthguards help to spread the forces of a collision, so that the teeth and the connected bones do not feel the full effect. The mouthguard absorbs a portion of the force expended during the collision and then distributes it over a wider area. It was clearly demonstrated by the data that thicker mouthguards are better at this task than thin ones.
Custom-made mouthguards also did a notably better job at protecting the teeth and bones from striking forces. They were significantly less likely to come loose when struck, thus protecting the teeth and tissues throughout the collision.
Cost Comparisons Custom vs. Generic
Custom mouthguards do cost more than generics purchased from a sporting goods store. Dentists point out that the improved safety performance is worth the cost, especially compared to the cost of fixing a broken tooth or jawbone. The Sacramento Dentistry Group offers a wide variety of customized mouthguards, built on-site or by a dental lab, based on the type of sport and personal preferences. For more information, contact the Sacramento Dentistry Group online or by calling 916-538-6900.
Source: Sacramento Dentistry Group
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