What’s that in a boxer’s mouth during a fight? In a football player’s mouth during a game? It’s very noticeable because of its color, which is usually bright, and because of how bulky it appears. That thing is called a mouth guard. It doesn’t sound very new at all because it is one of the most important protective gears used in certain sports and high contact activities.
Athletes need this the most because they are involved in physically demanding sports and activities which put them to high risks of getting injured. A mouth guard, although it’s a simple protective gear if you’ll just look at it, is hidden inside the mouth, but it’s benefit can be so big that it affects the body as a whole.
Find out below why a mouth guard is important both for athletes and non-athletes. It doesn’t matter which of the two you are, so let’s get it!
TEETH AND MOUTH TISSUE PROBLEMS
First and foremost, a mouth guard, as its name implies, is a gear worn to guard the mouth from damage. Sports such as baseball, boxing and hockey are high-risk since it involves several physical contact with other players and the movements required in such activities are definitely not a joke. Some are very aggressive.
If you are a player of such sports, you must be physically active and competitive, too, which makes injuries even more attainable. While playing and a player gets a strong hit [on the face or head] from another player, the forces of the impact are absorbed by the mouth guard. This prevents damages in the mouth.
The mouth is susceptible to damage and harm since it is not covered when engaging in these activities. With a mouth guard, an athlete can be safer from having broken teeth and cuts on his/her soft mouth tissues. Simple bleeding might result to worse and worsened injuries, so it’s better to be well-geared and secured. Dental damage is painful to both the mouth and the wallet. Mouth guards save you from both hurts or at least lessen them.
NEUROLOGIC INJURY
In connection to the previous one, a mouth guard is a shock absorber. The materials used to form a mouth guard is really meant to take the shock instead of your mouth to do it. Because of that advantage as well, your skull gets protected from grave conditions which might result to even more serious health issues linked to the brain. The brain is extremely important, and a little damage or impact made on or to it might be paid attention to.
PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACT
Event though a mouth guard looks bulky and “weird” for some, it gives a lot of confidence to athletes who use this. Why? It is because of the feeling that you’re protected from certain mouth damages.
You are also recharged and dedicated to do your best and win at most. Because of a mouth guard that protects you, you become less distracted but more focused on what you’re doing. You aren’t worried that your mouth might be hit hard that it’ll bleed. Your mind affects your body; that means your thoughts have something to do with your performance.
TEETH GRINDING
Indeed, mouth guards are used by athletes and others who get involved in such physical activities and fitness trainings, but the use of it is not limited only to sports-inclined people. Some people have the habit of teeth grinding (also called “Bruxism”) wherein the teeth experience constant tension during the time of sleep. You may experience sore and painful gums upon waking up in the morning.
A mouth guard (night guard) helps achieve a better quality of sleep because you are not disturbed by teeth grinding. It also aids in preventing tense muscles around the jaw from constant and unaware biting during the night. A mouth guard can also protect your teeth from getting worn down because of continuous grinding and pressure, which could result to thinner enamel and to closer possibilities of decaying after a long time.
GUARD IT!
A mouth guard is surely not a huge and complex gym equipment and not a whole body gear, but it definitely has a lot of advantages that concern health and wellness. Even when you pay attention to physical fitness, still, you’re not exempted from unexpected circumstances of pain and accidents in sports and other high-risk activities. Mouth guard is one of the safeguarding apparatuses that you must get and use if you’re into physically demanding sports or if you’re experiencing any health-related mouth issues.
AUTHOR BIO
Nicole Ann Pore is a daytime writer for Fitbiz Exercise Equipment, an Australian business nationally regarded as the benchmark in the Fitness industry, offering premium quality fitness equipment collection at affordable prices. She writes pieces focusing on the importance of being fit and healthy overall and the self discipline that must go with them. She also does research on various gym and exercise equipment to give more information about how they work. | Nicole graduated Cum Laude from De La Salle University Manila, Philippines with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Arts.