If you have patients who play contact sports like hockey and football or who grind their teeth, you have likely recommended that they use a customized mouth guard. These great and simple devices can protect the teeth from a crushing tackle or from getting worn down by unconscious grinding, but they may actually present a danger if they aren’t cleaned regularly.

When patients take their mouth guards out, they can transfer bacteria and germs onto the mouth guard without even realizing it. When they put the mouth guard back in their mouth, those germs and bacteria get a free passage right into the lungs!

Keeping a customized mouth guard clean is simple and there are several ways to do it:

• Rinse the mouth guard in water after taking it out
• Brush the mouth guard inside and out every time you brush your teeth
• Rinse the mouth guard in mouthwash
• Use soap and water to clean the mouth guard (wash well, or it will taste soapy)
• Always carry the mouth guard in a clean, perforated container

These simple guidelines can help keep your patients’ mouth guards germ-free and increase their longevity.

Contact Space Maintainers Laboratories to find a lab that can create customized mouth guards for you today.