Sports Mouthguards for Braces: Protecting Orthodontic Work During Sports

Braces are designed to move teeth — not absorb tackles. Whether you’re on the pitch, in the octagon, or mid-air on a BMX trail, impact is always a risk. Add metal brackets and wires into the mix, and even a minor hit can mean major trouble…

A properly fitted sports mouth guard for braces helps protect not only your teeth and gums, but also your orthodontic appliances. It cushions blows, prevents cuts to the lips and cheeks, and stops brackets from bending, snapping, or coming loose.

In short: protecting braces with mouthguards is essential for safe, confident play — no matter your sport or skill level.

As we all know, not all mouthguards are created equal. The standard boil and bite versions do not account for brackets, which means they often fit poorly — too tight, too loose, or dangerously un-protective.

Worse than that, they can press directly against your braces, thus increasing the risk of dislodging wires or cutting soft tissue in the mouth. Not ideal.

Custom-made athletic mouthguards for braces, on the other hand, are engineered to do much, much more. They include extra room to fit around orthodontic hardware without applying pressure, and they use high-impact materials to absorb and distribute force across the jaw.

This barrier helps shield your lips, cheeks, and tongue from sharp brackets during sudden impact, while protecting your teeth and treatment progress from serious setbacks. For athletes with braces, they’re essential kit.

If you’re wearing fixed orthodontic appliances — like braces or palatal expanders — and play sports, you need protection. This applies to children, teens, and adults alike.

No exceptions.

And the risk isn’t limited to traditional contact sports either. Falls, elbows, or stray equipment can cause just as much damage in lower-contact or solo sports.

Sports where mouthguards for braces are essential:

If there’s any risk of collisions, falls, or contact with hard surfaces or other players, protecting braces with mouthguards should be your top priority. A single incident can derail months of orthodontic progress — and hurt more than just your wallet.

As your orthodontic treatment progresses, your teeth are constantly shifting. This means the fit of your mouth guard can change too. A mouth guard that fit comfortably a few months ago might no longer offer the same level of protection — or comfort.

On average, athletic mouthguards for braces last between 6 and 12 months. But this depends on:

To get the most from your mouth guard:

Always check the fit after orthodontic adjustments. If it feels loose, tight, or uneven — then it’s time for a replacement.

Generic mouthguards from sports shops might seem cheap and convenient, but they don’t provide the fit or protection necessary for orthodontic wearers. Off-the-shelf, “boil and bite” guards often struggle to mould around brackets — which means reduced comfort and poor impact absorption.

Mobile Mouthguards offers custom-fitted sports mouthguards for braces, built using advanced digital scanning for a precision fit — no impressions, no mess. We bring our service to you, making it easy to protect your smile without interrupting your schedule.

Learn more about how it works or browse our collection of mouthguards.

Serious about sport? Then it’s time to get serious about protection. A custom-fitted sports mouth guard for braces helps you play harder — without worrying about busted wires or split lips.

Book your fitting today and get a mouth guard that works as hard as you do!