Making a gum shield
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Protect! Use a gum shield
13th October 2017 | Posted by: Adriano PennettiGum Shields
Meet William. He’s 10 years old and has an overwhelming enthusiasm for life. That’s why William needs a gum shield.
William first attended the practice at six months old and has been a regular attendee since with his Mum, Dad and younger sister, Fleur.
At his last visit, William told his dentist, Stephen Fletcher, that he’d just joined Saltash Rugby Club. As he’s 10, he’s playing contact, not the tag rugby he was playing at primary school.
For the first two weeks of the season, William was using a ‘boil and bite’ type of gum shield. He explained, ‘it’s loose, not very comfortable and easy to flick out’.
William’s at the age where he has spaces, new teeth erupting and baby teeth that wobble. Most importantly he has his adult front teeth, which need to last him a lifetime.
Making a gum shield
Stephen spoke with William and his mum, about the advantages of the gum shields we can make at the practice.
The gum shield is custom made. The dentist takes an impression of the patient’s mouth, then the dental laboratory works its magic. The finished shield is returned in about a week.
The gum shields are made from a strong and flexible thermoforming material. The standard shield is suitable for lower impact sports. We recommend reinforced shields for sports that use a racket or hard ball, such as squash and cricket.
Custom made shields are available in a choice of colours, are strong, comfortable and fit exactly.
The final gum shield
Since then, William’s been in to have his gum shield fitted and is over the moon.
‘It fits much better than my last one and I feel it’s much stronger. Before, Mum thought I might hurt myself, or lose my teeth. Now Mum is happier with my new gum shield as it gives more protection when I’m running into other team players on the pitch.’
At SpaDental, we recommend that all adults and children playing sport use a gum shield to provide protection to those all-important teeth. We only get one chance to look after them and they have to last us a lifetime.
If you would like more information or would like to make an appointment to have a gum shield made, please call the practice on 01752 663870 or use the ‘contact us’ page on the website.