Techniques for mouthguard fabrication.

The use and efficacy of mouthguards for the prevention of traumatic athletic injuries to the teeth and oral soft tissues as well as in the prevention of concussions should indicate to the athletic community the importance of this piece of protective equipment. By comparison to other athletic equipment, mouthguards are quite inexpensive. The underlying theme is to emphasize that for maximum comfort and protection, every athlete should possess a properly fitted mouthguard fabricated exclusively for the individual by a dentist. The materials and standard techniques used for the fabrication of stock, mouth-formed, and custom-made protectors are described. The characteristics that an ideal mouthguard should possess suggest that custom-formed mouthguards are superior in quality to either the stock or mouth-formed types, although the custom-formed types are more expensive and require the services of a dentist. The development of new dental materials has provided dentists with the opportunity to explore new techniques for the fabrication of custom-made mouthguards. New techniques for photopolymerized urethane diacrylate lipguards and mouthguards have been developed as have adaptations for those athletes who wear fixed orthodontic appliances and those who are partially edentulous. Proper cleaning and storage of all types of mouthguards can prolong the length of service of these protective appliances.