Protect Your Teeth. Protect Your Smile.

Custom mouthguards serve two primary functions: protection during sports and prevention of damage from grinding (bruxism). While Healdsburg may not be known for collegiate athletics, many residents stay active in hiking, cycling, and recreational sports even into their 60s and 70s, and a well-fitting custom guard can prevent tooth loss from impact. Additionally, grinding and clenching (often stress-related) affects a significant portion of the population, and a guard worn at night prevents flat wear, chip fractures, and TMJ stress that would otherwise require restorative work.

Custom mouthguards fabricated in our office fit far better than boil-and-bite versions from sporting goods stores. The improved fit means patients actually wear them, rather than abandoning uncomfortable ill-fitting guards, which maximizes protection and prevention.

A custom sports mouthguard is made from an alginate impression of your teeth, cast in stone, and then vacuum-formed over the cast using a specialized thermoplastic material. The result is a guard that fits snugly to your teeth and gums, provides shock absorption, and stays in place during contact or collision. We typically recommend a thickness of 3-4 millimeters for contact sports, balancing protection with comfort and breathability.

A night guard for bruxism is similar in fabrication but often made from a harder acrylic material for durability. The guard is designed to distribute grinding forces evenly across all teeth, preventing the concentrated stress that leads to wear and fracture. We adjust the guard to ensure proper bite contact and comfort, and patients are taught proper insertion and care.

Active Healdsburg residents who hike, bike, or play recreational sports at 50-plus years old want to protect the teeth they've spent a lifetime building and maintaining. A custom sports guard is a small investment that prevents catastrophic tooth loss, which would require far more extensive (and expensive) restoration. For active retirees and professionals, the guard is often a revelation: they'd been using drugstore guards or nothing at all, and discovering that a well-fitted custom guard is comfortable and barely noticeable transforms their willingness to wear it consistently.