A custom mouthguard from your dentist protects your teeth significantly better than anything you’ll find at the chemist or supermarket. That’s not a sales pitch — it comes down to fit, material thickness, and the simple fact that a mouthguard you can actually breathe and talk in is one you’ll actually wear.
Here in Mawson Lakes and across the northern suburbs, we see a lot of families juggling school sport, junior AFL, cricket, basketball, and hockey. If your child is playing at a local club in Parafield Gardens, Salisbury, or Para Hills, or competing through the school sport program, there’s a good chance a mouthguard is either required or strongly recommended. It’s worth understanding what you’re actually getting.
Why mouthguards matter in the first place
Dental injuries are among the most common sports injuries, particularly in contact and collision sports. A knocked-out adult tooth is a dental emergency that requires immediate treatment — and even then, reimplantation isn’t always successful. Replacing a missing tooth with a dental implant can cost $3,000 to $6,500. A cracked tooth may need a crown. Damaged teeth in children and teenagers can have consequences that follow them for decades.
A well-fitted mouthguard absorbs and distributes impact force before it reaches your teeth, gums, and jaw. It also provides a small amount of protection against concussion by cushioning the jaw on impact.
The question isn’t whether to wear a mouthguard. The question is what kind.
The three types of mouthguards
Stock mouthguards are the pre-formed, ready-to-wear guards you find in the sporting goods aisle or at the chemist. They typically cost $15 to $30. Because they come in only a few sizes and aren’t shaped to any individual’s teeth, they tend to fit poorly. Most people find them uncomfortable, and many have to clench their teeth to hold them in place. Breathing and talking are difficult. These guards offer the least protection of any option.
Boil-and-bite mouthguards are a step up. You soften the thermoplastic material in hot water, then bite into it to create a rough impression of your teeth. They’re more affordable than custom guards and available at most sporting goods stores. The fit is better than stock guards but still imperfect — the impression-taking process is inexact, and the material is often thinner in areas where it matters most.
Custom-fitted mouthguards are made by a dental practice from a precise impression of your teeth. The finished product is designed specifically for your mouth, your bite, and the sport you play. It stays in place during activity without clenching, allows normal breathing and communication, and provides consistent thickness and coverage across the areas most likely to take impact.
How a custom mouthguard is made
The process at Smile Spot Mawson Lakes is straightforward. Your dentist takes an impression of your upper teeth — a quick, non-invasive process that takes a few minutes. That impression is sent to a dental laboratory, which fabricates the mouthguard from a durable, high-grade thermoplastic material. The finished guard is typically ready within about a week, at which point your dentist fits and adjusts it to ensure proper coverage and comfort.
The result is a guard with consistent material thickness across the entire protective surface, a snug fit that doesn’t slip, and enough comfort to actually wear it for the duration of a match or training session.
Why fit matters more than most people realise
The single biggest failing of cheap mouthguards is that they don’t stay in place. A guard that falls out during play — or one that the wearer keeps removing because it’s uncomfortable — offers no protection at all.
Beyond simply staying in place, a well-fitted guard distributes impact force more evenly across the arch. An ill-fitting guard that shifts on impact can actually concentrate force in one area rather than dispersing it, which can increase the risk of injury rather than reducing it.
For younger players, comfort matters particularly because they’re more likely to remove an uncomfortable guard during the game. Junior AFL clubs affiliated with the SANFL have clear requirements around mouthguard use for junior players. Adelaide Crows and Port Adelaide both promote mouthguard use through their junior programs. SA school sport policies increasingly specify that mouthguards must be worn for contact sports — but the type of guard worn is often left to the family, which is where a custom-fitted guard makes a real difference.
Replacing kids’ mouthguards as they grow
This is something families sometimes overlook: children’s mouths change. As teeth erupt, jaws grow, and the bite shifts through the primary and mixed dentition stages, a mouthguard that fit well last season may not fit this season.
We generally recommend having your child’s mouthguard assessed each year, especially if they’ve had any teeth come out or come through since the previous fitting. In some cases the old guard can be adjusted; in others, a new impression and new guard is the better approach. Given how much a dental injury can cost to treat, the annual cost of a new mouthguard is a sensible investment.
The cost comparison
A stock mouthguard costs $15 to $30. A boil-and-bite guard might run $30 to $60. A custom-fitted mouthguard from a dentist typically costs $150 to $300, depending on the type and materials.
At first glance, the price difference looks significant. But compare it to the cost of treating a knocked-out tooth ($3,000 to $6,500 for an implant), a root canal on a cracked tooth ($1,000 to $2,000), or orthodontic work required after jaw trauma. A custom mouthguard doesn’t guarantee nothing will go wrong — but it gives you the best available protection at a cost that, in context, is modest.
Before the season starts
The ideal time to organise a mouthguard is a few weeks before the season begins — whether that’s SANFL junior competition, school sport, or your own club season. That gives time for the impression, laboratory fabrication, fitting, and any adjustments before the first training session.
If you’re in Mawson Lakes, Parafield Gardens, Salisbury, Ingle Farm, or the surrounding northern suburbs, our practice is convenient to reach and open late on weeknights to accommodate families and working adults.
To organise a custom mouthguard for yourself or your child, book an appointment online or call us on (08) 8258 0650. We’re open Monday to Thursday until 7pm.
Any surgical or invasive procedure carries risks. Before proceeding with treatment, you should seek a second opinion from an appropriately qualified health practitioner. Individual results may vary.