Can You Wear a Mouthguard with Braces? What Young Athletes Need to Know

Wearing Mouth Protection During Contact Sports

It’s a question that comes up in sports clubs, school changing rooms, and orthodontist waiting rooms with increasing regularity: if a young athlete is wearing braces, can they still wear a mouthguard? And if so, what kind?

The short answer is yes — mouth protection during contact sport is just as important, arguably more so, for a child wearing orthodontic braces than for one who isn’t. But how that protection is provided, and which type of mouthguard is appropriate, is not a decision that should be made without first speaking to the child’s dentist or orthodontist.

This piece sets out the key information that parents, coaches, and young athletes need to understand — not to replace that professional conversation, but to help prepare for it and make sense of the options.

If a child in your care wears braces and plays contact sport, please treat this as background reading rather than a substitute for clinical advice. The right mouthguard for a child in orthodontic treatment depends on their specific situation, and only the professional managing their treatment is in a position to make that recommendation.

Why the Question Matters More Than It Might Seem

Braces present a specific risk in contact sports that goes beyond the usual concern about broken or knocked-out teeth. Fixed orthodontic braces — the metal brackets and wires that most people are familiar with — create hard, sharp surfaces inside the mouth.

In the event of a blow to the face, those surfaces can lacerate the soft tissue of the cheeks, lips, and tongue in ways that an unbraced mouth would not experience. The injury risk is therefore different in character, not just in degree, from that faced by athletes without braces.

At the same time, the braces themselves can be damaged by a poorly fitted or inappropriate mouthguard — and damaged braces can mean treatment setbacks and additional cost. A standard boil-and-bite mouthguard, which is moulded to fit tightly around the teeth and gum line, can in some cases exert pressure on the braces in ways that are counterproductive to the orthodontic treatment. This is precisely why the type of mouthguard used during orthodontic treatment is a clinical question that the orthodontist or dentist should be involved in answering.

The Different Types of Mouthguard — and What Changes With Braces

There are broadly three categories of mouthguards available to athletes: stock mouthguards, boil-and-bite mouthguards, and custom-fitted mouthguards made by a dental professional. For athletes without braces, the choice between these is largely a matter of budget, comfort, and the level of protection required for the sport in question. For athletes with braces, the picture is more nuanced.

Stock mouthguards offer only basic protection and a poor fit in most cases, and are generally not recommended for serious use. Boil-and-bite mouthguards — which include the junior mouthguards supplied by Mouthguards Direct — are designed to mould closely to the individual’s teeth and provide a good level of protection for general sports use. They can be remoulded as the mouth changes, which is a useful characteristic given that a young person’s dentition is likely to be developing.

Custom-fitted mouthguards, made directly by a dental professional from an impression of the patient’s mouth, offer the highest level of fit and protection — and for young athletes in fixed orthodontic treatment, many orthodontists will recommend or supply these as the appropriate option during treatment. This is a conversation to have directly with the orthodontist, who will know the specifics of the treatment plan and the sports the child is playing.

The Role of the Orthodontist or Dentist in This Decision

It cannot be overstated how important it is for parents and young athletes to involve the treating orthodontist or dentist in any decision about mouthguard use during orthodontic treatment. This is not a counsel of excessive caution — it’s a reflection of the fact that orthodontic treatment is an active, ongoing clinical process, and decisions about what goes into the mouth during that process have genuine clinical implications.

The orthodontist will know what stage of treatment the child is at, whether their braces are fixed or removable, what the current tooth positions are, and how those positions are expected to change. A mouthguard fitted at one stage of treatment may not fit appropriately three months later as teeth continue to move.

They will also be able to advise on whether the child’s specific sport carries a level of contact risk that warrants a custom solution rather than a general-purpose one. According to the British Orthodontic Society, young patients with fixed braces who play contact sport should discuss mouthguard options with their orthodontist — and this guidance should be the starting point for any parent trying to navigate this question.

Protecting Young Athletes — Before, During, and After Orthodontic Treatment

One point worth making clearly is that the complexity of mouthguard selection during orthodontic treatment should not result in a young athlete playing contact sport without any protection at all. The risks of playing without a mouthguard — broken teeth, soft tissue injury, concussion impact to the jaw — are real regardless of whether braces are present, and in many sports, mouthguard use is either mandatory or strongly recommended by governing bodies.

Before orthodontic treatment begins, a well-fitted boil-and-bite mouthguard provides solid protection for the vast majority of junior athletes. After fixed brace treatment is complete, the same applies — the junior mouthguard range at Mouthguards Direct is designed for exactly this purpose: straightforward, comfortable protection for young people playing sport, in a format that can be fitted at home and refitted as their mouths change.

Caring for any mouthguard properly — rinsing, storing correctly, and replacing when the fit deteriorates — is important regardless of age. The mouthguard maintenance guide on the Mouthguards Direct website covers this clearly for parents and young athletes.

The Right Advice, in the Right Order

The question of whether a young athlete can wear a mouthguard with braces has a clear answer: mouth protection during contact sport is essential, and braces don’t change that. What they do change is how the decision about which mouthguard to use should be made — and the answer to that is with the involvement of the orthodontist or dentist managing the treatment, not independently.

Mouthguards Direct supplies quality junior and senior mouthguards for athletes of all ages playing a wide range of sports. Our products are designed for general sports use and are not specialist orthodontic appliances — for young athletes currently in orthodontic treatment, the right first step is always a conversation with their dental professional.

For those at all other stages of their sporting life, our junior range offers dependable protection that can be fitted simply at home. If you have questions about fitting or care, the fitting guide and FAQs on our website are a good starting point.