When Should a Mouth Guard Be Worn?

Any time you're engaged in an activity where your face can come in contact with something hard — say another player, a ball, the pavement, or any hard object — it's a time that you should be wearing a mouth guard!

Mouth guards offer protection by absorbing high-impact energy from potentially traumatic blows and dissipating that energy, which otherwise would be transferred directly to the teeth, jaw and neck.

The American Association of Orthodontists (AAO), the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS), and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) advocate the use of mouth guards for children and adults when cycling, in-line skating, skateboarding or playing any sport with the potential for facial injuries. Such sports include, but are not limited to, football, wrestling, basketball, baseball, volleyball, lacrosse, ice and field hockey, softball, and soccer.