Mouth guards are all over sports these days. Football players, basketball players and hockey players alike will wear them to protect their teeth, but the question is if they really help or not. Some people will wear them as a fashion statement, and others wear them because their favorite sport’s figure wears them.

As strong as your teeth are, they are also susceptible to injury. A simple elbow to the chin, fall to the floor, or ball to the face can chip or break a tooth. And with dental bills being so expensive it's a lot cheaper to buy a mouth guard than to schedule an appointment with your local dentist. The most common injuries in sports are related to the mouth and teeth, and that is why a mouth guard should be a priority for anyone who is involved in a contact sport of any kind.

But mouth guards are not just for protecting your teeth. A fast elbow to your mouth can easily cause your teeth to puncture and cut your lips or tongue as well. Serious injuries can also result from a jar to the bottom of the chin that causes the mouth to close suddenly, so any kind of guard will help to soften this blow. And if teeth are not perfectly straight an injury to the lips can easily occur because of a crooked tooth that has nothing to stop it from causing a laceration.

You can buy several different kinds of mouth guards. There are generic guards you can get from the store which are pretty much a one size fits all deal, and they will only cost around $20. These mouth guards are usually a little big and bulky, and it can be difficult to find a guard that fits properly.

You can also find the "boil-and-bite" guards that you put in boiling water and then apply to your teeth and they will conform to the shape of your bite. While these mouth guards are a little more comfortable they are not made of durable material and will have to be replaced after a short period of time.

Some of the best sports guards you can buy are the custom made ones. You will need to get these from your dentist or from a dental lab that specializes in making sports mouth guards, but you will pay at anywhere from $100 to $500 for them.

Mouth guards really do help prevent common injuries on the court, field, or ice, but you should also be careful to get the right guard for you. Make sure it fits perfectly or you will risk making matters worse if you receive a blow to the mouth. You should also be sure to clean your guard every night to keep bacteria out of it. There are a lot of bad habits that we see on TV with NBA players taking out their mouth guards every 5 minutes, but this just spreads germs around. If you have a good quality custom mouth guard you should be able to speak just fine with it in.

Phillip is a writer for www.TeethGrindingMouthGuards.com that helps people who suffer with teeth grinding. You can get teeth grinding mouth guards to prevent your teeth from cracking and breaking, and the custom made guards fit very comfortably. These guards are one of the best ways to stop teeth grinding.