Yes, you can play. You need a mouthguard made for braces, not a regular one. Look for a guard labelled for orthodontic use, expect the fit to change as your teeth move, and check whether your league wants one on the bottom teeth too. That is most of what matters.
The rest of this is the detail, including the part that trips up almost every parent standing in the sporting goods aisle in August.
The normal advice does not apply to you
Here is the standard guidance, straight from the American Dental Association. The best mouthguard is one custom made for your mouth. If you cannot afford custom, wear a boil-and-bite or a stock guard rather than nothing.
Good advice. It also assumes your teeth are staying where they are.
Yours are not. That is the entire point of braces.
A custom guard is made from an impression of your mouth on a specific day. Six weeks later your teeth are somewhere else. There is published research on exactly this problem, and its finding is worth reading twice. The difficulty of getting a comfortable, well-fitting guard that does not interfere with braces or tooth movement makes it less likely a mouthguard gets recommended or worn at all.
Read that again. The complexity of the question is why kids end up playing with nothing in their mouth.
That same research surveyed orthodontists about how they handle it. They did not agree with each other. One charges for custom guards and hands out boil-and-bites free. Others ask patients to sign a waiver. If the profession is split, no wonder the aisle is confusing.
So here is what we tell our own patients.
There are four types, not three
Most articles list three. The fourth is the one you want.
Orthodontic mouthguards
Built specifically for braces. They are made with extra room around the brackets and wires and with material that tolerates teeth moving underneath them. This is its own product category and it is what you should be looking for on the label.
Ask us at your next appointment. Some orthodontic practices stock them.
Boil-and-bite, labelled for braces
Soften it in hot water, bite down, it takes your shape. Widely available and affordable. The important word is labelled. A generic boil-and-bite will mould tightly around your brackets, which is the opposite of what you want. One designed for orthodontic use leaves the room.
Two things to know. Do not bite down as hard as you can, because you will thin the material exactly where you need it. And you will need to re-mould or replace it as your teeth move.
The ADA runs a Seal of Acceptance program that covers some boil-and-bite guards. Look for the seal on the box.
Custom made
Made from an impression, in a lab. Best fit and best protection when the fit is current. The catch is the word current. Mid-treatment, that fit has a shelf life, and remakes cost money each time.
It can still be the right call for a high-contact sport if you are willing to redo it. It is a conversation, not an obvious yes. Come talk to us rather than deciding in a shop.
Stock guards
Pre-formed, one size, cheapest thing on the shelf. The ADA notes these often fit poorly and can make breathing and talking difficult. A guard that does not stay put is a guard your kid takes out at halftime, and a guard that is out of the mouth protects nothing.
Better than nothing. Last on the list.
Do you need one on the bottom teeth?
Most mouthguards cover the upper teeth only. The ADA is clear that if you have braces on your lower teeth, your dentist or orthodontist may recommend covering those too.
Some sports require it either way. Wrestling is the one that comes up most. Before you buy anything, ask your coach or check your league’s rules, because a guard that does not meet the requirement means your kid does not play.
Worth doing that call in August rather than the night before the first match.
The fit will change. Check it.
This is the part everybody skips.
You come in every few weeks and we move your teeth on purpose. That is the treatment working. It also means the guard that fit at your first practice is not the same guard by mid-season.
A guard that has gone loose slides around and stops protecting. A guard that has gone tight can press on your brackets and work against the movement we are trying to create. Either one is worth fixing and neither one announces itself.
Make it a habit. Every time you come in for an adjustment, put the guard in afterwards and see how it feels. If it has changed, remould it or replace it. Bring it to your appointment and we will look at it with you.
If you are in clear aligners rather than braces, the conversation is different. Take the aligners out for contact sport and wear a guard. More on how we track progress with aligner trays if that is your treatment.
Which sports actually need one
The ADA recommends a mouthguard for any sport carrying a risk of falls, contact or flying objects. That list is longer than people expect.
- Obvious. Football, wrestling, hockey, lacrosse, basketball, soccer.
- Less obvious but yes. Baseball and softball. A ball to the face does not care that it is a non-contact sport.
- People forget these. Skateboarding, mountain biking, gymnastics, skating. The ADA specifically names gymnastics and skating as sports where dental injuries happen.
The general rule. If there is a plausible way for something hard to reach your face, wear the guard.
If something goes wrong anyway
Guards reduce the odds. They do not eliminate them. Here is what to do in the moment.
Loose bracket
Put orthodontic wax over it so it stops rubbing, then call us. It is not usually an emergency, but leaving it for three weeks costs you treatment time.
Wire poking out
The back of a pencil eraser or a clean finger will push it flat. Wax over it if it is still catching. Call us and we will sort it properly.
Took a hit to the mouth
Rinse with warm salt water and use a cold compress on the outside for the swelling. Then call us, even if it seems fine. A tooth can be knocked loose without looking like anything happened, and we would rather check and find nothing.
If a permanent tooth is knocked out, that is a real emergency and it goes to a dentist or an emergency room, not to us. Time matters a great deal in that situation.
More detail in our guide on what to do when braces break.
Two minutes of housekeeping
- Rinse the guard after every use. Cold water, not hot, because hot warps it.
- Ventilated case. Not the bottom of the sports bag.
- Brush your teeth properly after games. Sport means more debris and less brushing, and that combination with braces is how you finish treatment with marks on your teeth. Our guide on cleaning and caring for braces covers the rest.
- Keep spare wax in the bag. It weighs nothing and it saves a bad evening.
Common questions
Can you wear a mouthguard with braces?
Yes, and you should. You need one designed for orthodontic use rather than a standard guard. These are built with extra room around the brackets and wires. A generic guard can mould tightly to the braces, which is uncomfortable and can work against the tooth movement your treatment depends on.
Should you get a custom mouthguard if you have braces?
It depends. The ADA considers custom guards the best option generally, but they are made from an impression taken on one day, and braces move teeth continuously. That fit has a shelf life. Ask your orthodontist whether a custom guard makes sense for your sport and your stage of treatment.
Do you need a mouthguard on your bottom teeth with braces?
Possibly. Most guards cover only the upper teeth. The ADA notes that your dentist or orthodontist may recommend a lower guard if you have braces on your lower teeth. Some sports, wrestling in particular, require coverage of both arches. Check your league’s rules before buying.
How often should you replace a mouthguard with braces?
Check the fit after every adjustment appointment rather than on a fixed schedule. Your teeth are moving deliberately, so a guard that fit at the start of the season may be loose or tight by mid-season. A loose guard slides and stops protecting. A tight one can press against brackets.
Ask us before the season, not during
If your kid is starting braces and starting a season, bring it up at the appointment. It takes five minutes and we will tell you what your sport actually needs rather than what the packaging says.
Not a patient yet? Book a free smile analysis with Dr. Caballero at our Bremerton or Port Orchard office. Call 360-692-4811 for Bremerton or 360-895-9099 for Port Orchard.
Play the season. Just wear the thing.
