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Weightlifting has gained a huge spike in popularity over the years. However, as time passes, the need to protect your smile during this intense activity has also become apparent.
For any sport, be it football or weightlifting, protective dental gear that covers your jaws and teeth is essential to avoid severe dental mishaps. In this blog, we will explore how a weightlifting mouth guard is crucial in safeguarding your smile.
What Is a Mouth Guard?
A mouth guard is a dental device that safeguards your smile during intense sports activities. This works by absorbing any pressure or force exerted on your smile during physical activity and preventing dental damage. For every athlete, dental gear is a must-have to avoid any injury to your perfectly aligned smile.
Types Of Mouth Guards
Depending on your dental requirements during intense sports activities, mouth guards are divided into three main types:
Stock Mouth Guard
These are over-the-counter mouth guards available in free sizes. Since they are pre-made and ready to use, the fit might not be perfect, being too tight or too loose, which can lead to compromised protection. Out of the other variants available, these are the most inexpensive ones but can lead to discomfort and inconvenience to your smile.
Boil and Bite
Boil and bite mouth guards are made up of thermoplastic material. Before you can use it, you have to prep it by boiling in hot water so that it gets adjusted to your teeth and tongue. This provides a more personalized fit compared to the stock mouth guard and is slightly more expensive as well.
Custom Fitted Mouth Guard
This mouth guard is custom-made according to the size of your dental requirements to offer you the perfect fit. While they cost more as compared to the other mouth guard options, they also offer enhanced protection to your smile without leaving any gaps behind.
Impact of Weightlifting On Your Smile
Weightlifting results in extreme stress and physical exertion, which can make you clench your teeth, leading to bruxism. This further results in dental issues down the road, such as enamel damage, sensitivity, or chipped teeth.
Furthermore, athletes are more prone to sports accidents during weightlifting, which is why maintaining your smile using a mouth guard should always be a priority.
Why Do You Need a Mouth Guard For Weightlifting?
If you are a weightlifting athlete, the following are the reasons you need to wear a mouth guard:
Safeguarding Your Teeth
Weightlifting can put too much stress on your body to process, leading to multiple health issues if one is not careful. During weightlifting, there is a high chance of teeth collisions, which can cause broken teeth, bleeding gums, or swelling. In the worst-case scenario, an athlete can even bite his tongue while lifting a weight. This is why a dental mouth guard is important to safeguard your oral health while you can focus on your weight.
Prevents Teeth Grinding
Not just athletes, but millions of people go through teeth-grinding issues. This is especially highlighted when the jaws are tightly clenched or grind with each other.
Grinding further causes enamel damage and weakens teeth, which is why a mouth guard is important in order to prevent this condition. When wearing a mouth guard, any force or pressure exerted on your mouth is absorbed, hence maximizing your dental health.
Improved Breathing
A weightlifting athlete needs to strategize their breathing to ensure maximum results, which also includes breathing techniques for a full-force push. In such instances, a custom-fit mouth guard is neither too loose nor too tight for your mouth. This perfect fit makes sure you can easily breathe while lifting weights. A properly fitted mouth guard also ensures no irritation to your teeth while providing a clearer passage for oxygen.
Prevents Muscle Injuries
Have you ever heard of a mouth cramp? This dental issue is mostly experienced by athletes due to dehydration, overexertion, or heavy pressure exerted on the jaws. Mouth cramps prevent proper opening or closing of your mouth for a few days. If you wear a mouth guard, your muscles are secured, leading to a lower risk of mouth cramps.
Avoid Soft Tissue Injuries
While you are focused on your game, a slight push or collision can lead to biting your tongue or getting a cut. A mouth guard acts as a shield for your jaw and tongue thus preventing any soft tissue damage.
How To Order a Mouth Guard From ALIGNERCO?
Custom-fit mouth guards provide enhanced comfort and protection. To ensure you’re getting top-tier mouth guards, place an order today with ALIGNERCO by following the steps below:
Make Your Impressions
The first step of ordering your customized mouth guard requires making a set of your dental impressions. This is done by using the impression kit delivered to you at your doorstep.
Send Them Back
An impression kit comes with all the instructions needed to generate your dental impressions. Once it is done, send your impressions back to us.
Wear Your Mouth Guard
After assessing your dental impressions, a mouth guard is created for you. Wear this dental gear and keep your smile safe while focusing on lifting weights.
To sum it up, your dental health must not be compromised when lifting weights. Protecting your jaws, teeth, and tongue is vital, as heavy weightlifting can put pressure on your jaws, making you clench your teeth. While using a mouth guard can help safeguard your smile, it is also important to consult with a professional dentist or orthodontist to ensure you can get the best possible dental solution for your weightlifting needs.
FAQs
1. Why is a mouth guard required?
A mouth guard is a dental device that is placed inside your mouth and offers protection against any shock or force applied to your mouth. It is mostly used by athletes involved in high-impact sports activities such as weightlifting.
2. Which is the suitable mouth guard for an athlete?
A custom mouth guard is designed to provide enhanced comfort. While lifting, you don’t want your dental products to either be too loose or too tight and thus bother your teeth. This is why a custom-fit mouth guard is the most suitable option for weightlifting athletes.
3. Can a mouth guard protect my teeth during weightlifting?
For heavy weightlifters, chances are they might face dental problems due to any mishap. For instance, clenching your teeth while lifting weights is a common issue among athletes. This is why a mouth guard is used to avoid any damage to your smile.