Dental Insurance for Athletes Who Wear Mouth Guards

By Susan Braden
Published Aug 16 2010

If you’re an athlete, you may want to consider dental insurance. Participating in sports like football, baseball, basketball or hockey could put you at high risk of a face or mouth injury. This could mean broken teeth or injuries to the tongue, face, jaw or lips. However, a properly fitting mouth guard could help.

Who Does This Affect?

Anyone who plays a sport with high injury risk should consider wearing a rubber cushion around their smile. Typically, these protectors cover the upper teeth. They can cushion a blow to the face thus minimizing the chance of broken teeth or injuries to the mouth tissues. If you have braces or another type of appliance on your lower jaw, your dentist may recommend a guard for these teeth also. Some insurance companies cover preventive measures like this.

How Will This Help Me?

Accidents happen. A mouth protector helps cushion facial blows that could otherwise result in an injury. Rough sports could leave you with a broken, nerve-damaged or lost tooth. With this, the risk of injury is much lower and the soft tissues of your cheeks and lips are protected. A properly fitting appliance stays in place, making it easy to talk and breathe.

What Types Are Available?

• Stock - Stock protectors are fairly cheap, especially with insurance, and they come ready to wear. However, they often don’t fit properly and can be bulky, causing difficulties with breathing and talking.


• Boil and Bite - These are available at many sports stores. They tend to fit better than stock protectors. They need to be softened in water, then put onto the smile to adjust to the shape. If you aren’t careful to follow the directions, it may not fit correctly.


• Custom-Fitted - These are made by the dentist specifically for you. They cost the most, but with insurance to help you out, they should fit better than anything you can get from a store.

What About Braces?

These rubber cushions are especially important for anyone with braces or bridge work. A blow to the face could damage brackets or other orthodontics. At can also provide a barrier between braces and your cheek or lips. This limits the risk of injuries to the soft tissues. If you are interested in getting a guard, talk to your dentist or orthodontist to find out what will provide the best protection. If you have braces on your lower teeth, they may suggest using one on these teeth as well. Do not wear retainers or other removable appliances during any contact sports. If you do sustain an oral injury, insurance may help pay for restorative work.

If you play any sort of contact sport, you may want to use one to help prevent any injuries that could occur. Some could be somewhat expensive, but dental insurance might help cover that. If you are considering a protector, talk to your dentist. He can assist you finding the perfect guard for your smile.