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Want Braces While Playing Contact Sports? Here Are Your Best Options

Contact sports are an admirable hobby or profession to partake in, but they're typically not one that goes together well with traditional braces. If you want a straighter-looking smile but you're worried about whether it's safe to wear braces, here's what your options are for achieving that smile without breaking your dental investment.

Sublingual Braces

Sublingual braces are one of the best options for people who play sports. They're almost exactly like traditional metal braces, as they use the same types of brackets and wires and have the same capability of improving severely crooked bites. However, unlike traditional braces, sublingual braces are mounted on the backs of your teeth instead of on the front.

By putting the braces on the back of your teeth, you can avoid some of the more common risks to braces while playing sports. If, for example, a ball were to hit you, it could potentially shatter the wire or dislodge a bracket if wearing traditional braces. By having the sublingual braces protected by your teeth, however, this is no longer a risk.

Removable Braces

Another good option is to choose removable braces, if your teeth straightening needs are eligible for them.

Removable braces are typically made out of thin plastic and are designed to be slipped on and off like a retainer or mouthguard. While they can't fix severe bites, they do a wonderful job of rearranging crooked teeth and making them straight. The fact that they can be removed so easily means that you can take them off during practice or at games, ensuring that no harm will come to your braces while you're playing.

Custom Mouthguard

Lastly, you can ask an orthodontist about choosing traditional braces with a custom mouthguard. This is a professional-grade mouthguard made by an orthodontist to fit your teeth and the braces over them perfectly. This mouthguard can be worn while you're playing, helping to act as a shock absorber for your teeth and braces, preventing damage to them.

Keep in mind that it's necessary to have a custom mouthguard made, as store-bought ones aren't designed to protect braces or even to fit over them. Going with a custom one will ensure that you have maximum protection for.your braces and teeth, so.take the time to ask.for one.

Wearing braces is entirely possible these days, even if you partake in the roughest of contact sports. No matter what your situation is, your dentist can help you by finding an orthodontic solution that will work best for your dental needs and your personal needs, too.