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Basketball is the number one sport for maxillofacial injuries. This is why you are seeing star NBA players like LeBron James and Stephen Curry wearing mouthguards.

Basketball is more prone to facial injuries due to hand or elbows contact or players colliding with each other. It is not uncommon for two athletes to fight for a rebound and take an elbow to the mouth causing a tooth to break or even be fully knocked out. The cost of having a tooth repaired or replaced can range anywhere from $300 to $15,000 depending on the repair that has to be done. Wearing a custom fitted mouthguard for basketball can minimize the damage or even prevent it fully. Sadly most basketball players will only start to wear a mouthguard after they have had a dental injury or have seen another player have a dental injury.

NBA basketball players will typically wear a 3mm Clear mouthguard that is custom made from an impression of their teeth. These mouthguards are made my taking a dental impression and then have a dental lab manufacture the mouthguard. Being custom made makes these mouthguards are extremely comfortable and doesn’t affect breathing or communication with other teammates. Custom made laboratory mouthguards are nothing like boil and bite mouthguards that are purchased at a sporting goods store. The fit of a custom mouthguard will snap on your teeth and provide more protection than a boil and bite guard.

At SportingSmiles we recommend wearing a mouthguard soon as you have all your permanent teeth. Wearing a mouthguard should be a standard part of your equipment not only during games, but all worn during practice to protect the teeth. A properly taken care of custom mouthguards should last many years and give the maximum protect available.