Braces and Sports: How to Protect Your Smile When You're Active

Wondering whether braces and sports mix? Here’s the short answer: yes!! Getting braces doesn’t mean sitting on the sidelines. With one simple piece of gear — a mouthguard — you can keep playing the game you love and protect your smile at the same time.

Here’s how to do it right.

Can You Play Sports with Braces? Absolutely.

One of the most common questions we hear at Nexus is, “Can I still play sports?” And we love giving the answer: keep playing! Braces are part of everyday life for people of all ages, and they shouldn’t get in the way of the activities that make life fun.

The one thing we ask is that you let Dr. Shauna and your Nexus care team know about the sports you’ll be playing. That way, we can help you choose the best mouthguard for your treatment. Our life with braces guide covers this too — a mouthguard is our go-to recommendation for active patients.

Which Sports Call for a Mouthguard?

Any sport where there’s a chance of contact — with another player, the ground, or equipment — is a good reason to wear a mouthguard. Think:

• Contact sports: football, basketball, soccer, hockey, lacrosse, wrestling, martial arts
• Impact-prone activities: skateboarding, biking, gymnastics, cheerleading

A mouthguard cushions a blow to the mouth and helps protect both your teeth and your braces from damage. When in doubt, wear one — it’s a small step that saves a lot of trouble.

How Mouthguards Work Over Braces

Here’s the key thing to know: a standard store-bought “boil-and-bite” mouthguard is designed to mold to teeth without braces, and it often doesn’t fit well over brackets and wires. Because your teeth are moving throughout treatment, a rigid custom fit can also become outdated quickly.

That’s where orthodontic mouthguards come in. These are made from a softer, more flexible material designed to fit comfortably over braces and adapt as your teeth shift. They protect your lips and cheeks from the brackets during a hit, and they cushion your teeth. If you’re not sure which one to get, just ask us — we’re happy to help you pick the right guard for your braces and your sport.

What to Do If You Take a Hit to the Mouth

Accidents happen, even with a mouthguard in place. If you take a hit during a game, here’s what to do:

1. Check your mouth and appliances right away. Look for damage to your braces, loose brackets, or any loose teeth.
2. Rinse with warm salt water and apply ice to reduce swelling if your mouth is sore.
3. Contact our office if you see any damage or notice a loose tooth. We’ll walk you through the best next steps — whether that’s pain management or coming into our New Hyde Park office for an emergency fix.
4. For a severe injury, visit an emergency room first.

Don’t try to fix a bent wire or loose bracket on your own — that can cause more damage. Just give us a call and we’ll take it from there.

A Quick Note for Invisalign Fans

If you’re a serious contact-sport athlete, removable aligners have a small advantage worth mentioning. With Invisalign, you can take your aligners out during a game and slip a mouthguard right over your teeth — no bracket-and-wire fit to work around. This isn’t a reason to choose one treatment over another (that decision depends on your smile and your goals), but it’s a nice perk for the athletically minded.

Play On!

Braces and an active lifestyle go together just fine. Wear a mouthguard, keep us in the loop about your sports, and check in with us if anything happens on the field.

Have questions about protecting your smile while you stay active? Contact Nexus Orthodontics in New Hyde Park — we’re always here for you.

— Dr. Shauna Fung, DDS, Board-Certified Orthodontist Nexus Orthodontics, New Hyde Park, NY