Services
Mouth Guards
We fit custom sports mouth guards that protect your teeth, braces, and smile during every game and practice.
Why choose us
Benefits of Mouth Guards
Custom Sports Protection
Our sports mouth guards are made to fit your smile, not a one-size-fits-all mold.
Safe With Braces
We design guards that protect lips and cheeks from metal or ceramic brackets during play.
Comfortable To Wear
A guard that fits well stays in place, so you can breathe, talk, and focus on the game.
Kids, Teens, Adults
We fit athletes of every age at both our Easley and Greenville offices.
Flexible Payment Options
We accept major PPO plans, HSA and FSA funds, self-pay, and offer payment plans.
A single elbow to the face during a basketball game can undo months of orthodontic progress — or crack a healthy tooth in a matter of seconds. That's why we make custom sports mouth guards a standard part of the conversation with our active patients in Easley and Greenville. A properly fitted guard cushions impact, protects the lips and cheeks from being cut against brackets, and helps shield the jaw from the kind of sudden force that comes with contact sports. Whether you're in metal braces, ceramic braces, clear aligners, or simply want to protect a finished smile, we can help you choose and fit the right protection.
A sports mouth guard is a protective appliance worn over the upper teeth during athletic activity. Its job is to absorb and distribute force so that a blow to the mouth doesn't land directly on a tooth, a bracket, or the soft tissue behind the lips. For patients in braces, that second point matters a great deal: brackets and wires sit against the inside of the lips and cheeks, and an impact without a guard can drive them into tissue. A guard designed to fit over orthodontic appliances creates a buffer between hardware and soft tissue.
We fit sports mouth guards for children, teens, and adults — the same broad range of ages we treat throughout our practice. Football, basketball, soccer, wrestling, lacrosse, hockey, martial arts, skateboarding, and even recreational league play all carry real risk of mouth injury. Parents often ask whether a young athlete in a space maintainer or early-phase treatment needs a guard, and the answer is generally yes: protecting developing teeth and the appliances guiding them is worth the small effort of wearing one.
The most common question we hear is how a custom guard compares to one bought off the shelf. Store-bought guards come in generic shapes; they can feel bulky, shift during play, and interfere with breathing and speech, which makes athletes less likely to keep them in. A guard made for your mouth is designed around your actual arch and, when needed, around your appliances — so it stays put and stays comfortable enough to wear for a full game or practice.
Timing is the second question. If you're currently in treatment, your teeth are moving by design, and your orthodontist will advise you on the right approach for your stage of care. Patients wearing clear aligners, including Invisalign, should know that aligners are not protective equipment — they're thin and built for tooth movement, not impact — so a separate sports guard is still the right call for contact activity. If you're finishing treatment and moving into retainers, we'll talk through how your guard and retainer wear fit together in your daily routine.
A few situations where we especially encourage a sports guard:
- Athletes in metal or ceramic braces who play any contact or collision sport
- Children and teens in early-phase treatment or wearing appliances such as expanders
- Adults returning to recreational leagues after years away from organized sports
- Patients who have completed orthodontic treatment and want to protect the result
- Anyone who has already chipped or injured a front tooth and wants to avoid a repeat
Caring for Your Guard and What to Expect Over Time
Aftercare is simple but easy to neglect. Rinse the guard before and after each use, brush it gently, and let it dry fully before storing it in a ventilated case — not loose in a gym bag, where it can be crushed or contaminated. Keep it away from hot surfaces and direct sun, since heat can distort the fit. Bring it to your orthodontic visits so we can look it over along with your braces or aligners.
Guards don't last forever. Growing patients change quickly, and teeth in active treatment move on purpose, so a guard that fit well in the fall may need to be replaced by spring. Chewing on a guard, a common habit on the sidelines, shortens its life considerably. If yours feels loose, shows tears, or no longer seats cleanly, tell us — a compromised guard offers far less protection than it appears to. And if an injury does happen, we offer emergency dentistry care and want to hear from you right away rather than have you wait for a scheduled appointment.
Insurance, Payment, and Getting Started
We accept all major PPO insurance plans and file orthodontic claims as a specialist practice, so we're happy to help you understand your coverage. We also welcome self-pay and cash patients, accept HSA and FSA funds, and offer flexible financing and affordable payment plans so protection and treatment stay within reach.
Every new patient starts with a free initial consultation at our Easley or Greenville office. If your child is heading into a new season, or you're an adult getting back on the field, reach out and we'll get you fitted, informed, and protected.
The process
What to expect
- 1
Consultation And Fit
We talk through your sport and check how your teeth and any appliances are positioned.
- 2
Impressions And Creation
We take an accurate impression and have your custom sports guard made to that shape.
- 3
Delivery And Care
We check the fit, show you how to clean and store it, and adjust as your smile changes.