It can happen in an instant. A stray elbow during a basketball game, a collision at home plate, or a hard fall during wrestling practice. And suddenly a routine season is interrupted by a trip to the dentist instead of the field. Unfortunately, most athletes who suffer these injuries were not wearing any mouth protection at all, or were wearing a store-bought guard that slipped out right when it was needed most.
At Revive Dentistry, Dr. Omid Khezri believes prevention should never feel like a compromise. Custom mouthguards are built from an exact impression of your teeth, giving you a snug, secure fit that store shelves simply cannot replicate, and Dr. Khezri walks every patient through exactly why that difference matters before any treatment begins.
Off-the-shelf and boil-and-bite mouthguards are designed to fit “most” mouths, which in practice means they fit no mouth particularly well. They shift during play, make it hard to breathe or speak, and often get spit out during the exact moment of impact they were supposed to prevent. A custom-fabricated mouthguard, by contrast, is molded directly from a cast of your teeth, so it stays anchored in place through contact, movement, and heavy breathing alike.
This precision matters more than most athletes realize. According to a health survey cited by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, over half of children ages 6 through 17 participated in organized sports, and a properly fitted mouthguard is one of the few pieces of protective equipment standing between a routine practice and a dental emergency. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry notes that custom-fabricated mouthguards outperform boil-and-bite and stock versions in retention, protection, and comfort, which is precisely why Dr. Khezri recommends them for young athletes and adults alike.
Every mouth moves differently depending on the sport. A wrestler needs a mouthguard that will not interfere with breathing during extended exertion, while a hockey or football player needs maximum shock absorption around the front teeth. Because Revive Dentistry takes a whole-person approach to care, Dr. Khezri considers your bite, your sport, and your existing dental work, including braces or other orthodontic appliances, before finalizing your mouthguard’s design.
That attention to detail extends to families managing multiple athletes under one roof. Kids in growing mouths, teens with retainers, and adults returning to weekend leagues all have different protection needs, and a one-size-fits-all guard rarely serves any of them well. Dr. Khezri’s foundations-first philosophy means he will also flag any underlying issues, such as untreated decay or gum concerns, that should be addressed before a mouthguard is fitted, so the protection you walk away with is built on a healthy base.
The best mouthguard is the one an athlete will actually keep in during practice and games, not the one that ends up in a gym bag because it is too uncomfortable to wear. Custom guards are trimmed and shaped to your exact bite, which means no gagging, no excess bulk, and no constant readjusting between plays. For patients who have tried a store-bought version and given up on it, this difference is often the deciding factor in whether they wear protection consistently going forward.
Dr. Khezri also builds in room for growth and change where needed, particularly for younger patients whose teeth are still shifting. This means your mouthguard is designed to serve you through an entire season, not just a single game, and reduces the need for frequent, costly replacements.
A custom mouthguard is an investment in your smile, and a little routine care goes a long way toward making it last through an entire season or longer. After each use, rinse the mouthguard with cool water or a mild mouthwash rather than hot water, which can warp the material and compromise the precise fit Dr. Khezri built it around. Store it in a ventilated, rigid case rather than a closed plastic bag, since trapped moisture creates an environment where bacteria can thrive between wears.
What to Look For
It is also worth giving the mouthguard a quick visual check before each use. Look for cracks, thinning spots, or areas where the fit feels looser than it used to, especially for younger athletes whose mouths change as they grow. A mouthguard that no longer seats snugly is not offering the same level of protection it once did, even if it still looks intact at a glance.
Routine Inspections at Your Dental Exam
We recommend bringing your mouthguard to your regular dental visits so Dr. Khezri can check the fit alongside the rest of your oral health. This is particularly important for patients in orthodontic treatment or younger patients still losing baby teeth, since these changes can affect how well the guard performs. A quick check-in keeps your protection reliable for as long as you need it, season after season.
Protecting your smile should never come at the cost of comfort or performance, and that is exactly the balance Dr. Omid Khezri and the Revive Dentistry team aim to strike with every custom mouthguard they create. Whether you are gearing up for a new sports season, addressing an old guard that no longer fits, or protecting your child’s growing smile for the first time, our team takes the time to explain every step of the process so you understand exactly what you are getting and why it matters.
If you or your family are ready for a mouthguard built specifically for you, we welcome patients from Orange City, DeBary, DeLand, and Deltona to contact our office and schedule a fitting today.
