Mouth Guards for Kids in Lake Nona, FL

One missed block. One stray elbow. One collision at the plate. For active kids in Lake Nona, a single moment on the field can result in a chipped, cracked, or knocked-out tooth — and the consequences can follow them for life. According to the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, children 17 and younger account for more than 80 percent of all sports-related dental injuries treated in U.S. emergency rooms — the majority involving children younger than seven years old.

At Esteem Dental in Lake Nona, our team is here to help protect your child’s smile before an injury ever happens. As a family-focused, multi-specialty practice, we provide custom-fitted mouth guards designed specifically for growing smiles, so your young athlete can play hard with one less thing to worry about. Whether your child plays soccer, basketball, baseball, or any other sport, we make it easy to get the protection they need — all under one roof.

Youth sports are wonderful for children’s development, but they come with a real risk of dental trauma. The forces involved in contact sports — collisions, falls, and equipment strikes — are powerful enough to fracture teeth, displace them from the socket, or cause lasting jaw injury. These aren’t rare occurrences. Sports activities contribute to roughly one-third of all dental injuries in children, and many of those injuries are entirely preventable with the right protective gear.

A properly fitted mouth guard cushions the impact, redistributes force across the mouth, and reduces the likelihood of tooth fracture, soft tissue damage, and even concussion. The key word here is “fitted” — a mouth guard that doesn’t stay in place or cover the teeth properly offers far less protection than one custom-made for your child’s unique bite.

What Makes a Custom Mouth Guard Different

Not all mouth guards offer the same level of protection. Store-bought, boil-and-bite options are widely available, but they vary significantly in how well they fit, how much they absorb impact, and how comfortable they feel during play. Children are more likely to wear a mouth guard consistently when it fits well, doesn’t interfere with breathing or speaking, and doesn’t have to be held in place by clenching.

Custom-fabricated mouth guards, made from impressions of your child’s actual teeth, are recognized as the superior option for protection, comfort, and retention. Our team at Esteem Dental takes impressions and creates a mouth guard tailored to your child’s mouth — not an average approximation of it.

Parents often assume mouth guards are only necessary for football or hockey, but dental injuries occur across a wide range of youth sports. Baseball, basketball, soccer, gymnastics, and even recreational activities like skateboarding and bicycling all carry meaningful risk of orofacial injury.

In fact, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and the American Dental Association currently recommend mouth guard use across 29 sports and activities. Yet for the majority of these sports, mouth guards are not required. That means the decision falls to parents — and getting ahead of the first injury is always better than managing one after the fact.

Growing Smiles Need Updated Protection

One consideration unique to children is that their mouths are constantly changing. As primary teeth fall out and permanent teeth come in, a mouth guard that fit well last season may not offer adequate coverage this season. Our team can monitor these changes during regular visits and help you know when it’s time for a new guard. We can even plan ahead with block-out techniques that allow a custom guard to accommodate some tooth movement, extending its useful life through multiple sports seasons.

Comprehensive Dental Care for Every Member of Your Family

From preventive checkups to complete smile makeovers, our experienced team provides personalized care in a welcoming environment.

Getting a Mouth Guard at Esteem Dental in Lake Nona

The process of getting a custom mouth guard at our Lake Nona office is straightforward and comfortable for kids. We take impressions of your child’s teeth, use those to create a precise model, and fabricate a guard that fits snugly, stays in place during play, and holds up through a full season of activity.

We also take the time to talk with both parents and children about how to care for the guard, when to wear it, and what signs to look for that indicate it may need to be replaced. A mouth guard only works if it’s worn — and a comfortable, well-fitting guard is one a child will actually keep in.

If your child is already undergoing orthodontic treatment, we can discuss options that work around braces and other appliances, so protection doesn’t have to wait until treatment is complete. Our multi-specialty team means that pediatric dentistry and orthodontic care are available in one location — making it easier to coordinate all aspects of your child’s dental health without juggling multiple offices.

Protect Your Child’s Smile at Esteem Dental Lake Nona

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