Medically Reviewed by Dr. Charles Poblenz on July 15, 2026
A knocked-out tooth during a contact sport is not rare. It’s the kind of injury that could have been prevented for less than the cost of the emergency appointment and follow-up restorative work.
At JAX Dental Studio, mouthguard fabrication is part of our preventive dentistry services in Jacksonville. Custom-fitted to your teeth. Built from materials that absorb force better than anything available over the counter. Use our contact form to schedule a fitting.
The Cost of Not Wearing One
We see knocked-out teeth from sports injuries a few times a year in our Jacksonville practice. The most recent case: a high school basketball player came in about 40 minutes after taking an elbow to the mouth. The tooth was out. Thirty minutes is the target window for reimplantation — we were past it, but we tried. The tooth held. Not every case ends that way.
When a tooth doesn’t make it back in: extraction, bone grafting to preserve the socket, implant placement after healing, crown fabrication at the end. Months of treatment. Several thousand dollars, minimum. The American Dental Association puts the prevention number at over 200,000 dental injuries a year prevented by mouthguards. Football, hockey, basketball, soccer, wrestling, martial arts — those are the sports where we see the most preventable dental trauma in our Jacksonville patients.
Why Custom Fits Differently
We have patients who wore boil-and-bite guards for years before switching to custom. The thing they say most: they didn’t realize how much they were biting down to hold it in place. Clench harder to keep it there. Talk less. Pull it out between plays. Compliance drops.
Custom fabricated from an impression of the actual teeth: it stays in place without clenching. Thinner. Better airflow. We’ve had patients switch after years of compliance issues with store-bought guards and say they forgot they were wearing it by the end of the first practice. That’s the outcome that matters — protection only works when it’s actually in.
For recreational sports with occasional light contact: an over-the-counter guard covers the basics. For any regular collision sport, the difference in protection is significant enough to matter when something actually happens.
The Fitting Process
One appointment. We take an impression of the upper teeth — digital scan or traditional, depending on the case. The guard comes back fabricated and trimmed. Brief follow-up if we need to check the fit. The finished guard is trimmed to the exact margins of these specific teeth — anterior coverage where most impact lands, smooth posterior edges.
Guards in high-contact sports: we see them come back for replacement faster, usually within a year or two. Recreational leagues: two to three years is more typical. Bring it to your regular dental appointment. We’ve had athletes bring in guards from previous seasons where you can see the fit has changed when they bite down. At that point it needs replacing.
Maintenance
Rinse before and after. Toothbrush and mild soap — toothpaste is abrasive to the material over time. Vented case when not in use. In Jacksonville: a guard left on the back seat in August will warp. We’ve had patients come in with guards that lost their shape from being left in the car. Keep it out of the heat.
If a Tooth Gets Knocked Out
Crown only — not the root. The cells on the root surface are what make reattachment possible. Rinse gently if dirty. Back in the socket immediately if possible. If not: milk, or between cheek and gum. Not water. Get to a dental office within 30 minutes. Every minute past that drops the odds — we’ve saved teeth that reached us in 20 minutes, lost ones that took 90.
Chipped or cracked teeth: save the pieces if possible, cold compress for swelling, call our emergency dentistry line for same-day evaluation. Persistent bleeding or jaw pain that could indicate fracture: ER first.
Financing options are available for restorative work after dental injury.
Schedule Your Mouthguard Fitting at JAX Dental Studio
Fellowship in the Academy of General Dentistry. Dr. Charles Poblenz leads our Jacksonville team. Mouthguard fabrication takes one appointment. Use our contact form to schedule.
Frequently Asked Questions About Sports Mouthguards
Do I really need a mouthguard for sports?
For contact and collision sports: yes. Football, hockey, basketball, soccer, wrestling, martial arts — real impact risk on teeth, lips, and jaws. The ADA puts the number at over 200,000 dental injuries prevented by mouthguards annually. When a tooth gets knocked out and doesn’t make it back in, we’re talking about emergency care, bone grafting, implant placement, and months of treatment. Several thousand dollars, minimum. A fitted guard from a dental office costs a fraction of any one piece of that. For recreational sports with occasional contact, even a store-bought guard covers the basics. For regular collision sports, custom is a different level of protection.
What’s the difference between a custom mouthguard and a store-bought one?
We hear this from patients who switch: they didn’t realize how much they were biting down to keep the boil-and-bite in place. Clenching to hold it. Pulling it out between plays. One patient — a recreational soccer player — told us she’d stopped wearing hers during games entirely because talking through it was more effort than the protection felt worth. When we fitted her for custom, she called after the first practice and said she’d forgotten she was wearing it by halftime. That’s the difference most patients describe: not the material specs, but whether they actually keep it in.
How long does a custom mouthguard last?
In our Jacksonville patients: high-contact sport players come back to replace theirs earlier — within a year or two, sometimes sooner. Recreational leagues: two to three years is more typical. We check the fit at regular dental appointments. We’ve had athletes bring in guards from previous seasons — you can see the tooth positions have changed when they bite down. At that point it’s due for replacement. For younger athletes still in active dental development, replacement comes sooner to keep the fit accurate.
Can my child get a mouthguard with braces?
Yes — we do this regularly. The guard fits over the brackets rather than against the teeth directly. Kids who’ve tried the OTC orthodontic guards first usually say they’re bulkier than expected and harder to keep in place. The custom version is trimmed around the hardware specifically. As tooth positions change through orthodontic treatment, the guard needs updating to match — we check that at regular appointments.
What do I do if a tooth gets knocked out during a game?
Act fast. Crown only — not the root. The cells on the root surface are what make reattachment possible, and handling the root damages them. Rinse gently if dirty. Back in the socket immediately if possible. If not: milk, or hold it between the cheek and gum. Not water. Get to a dental office within 30 minutes. After that the odds drop significantly — we’ve saved teeth that reached us in 20 minutes, lost ones that took longer. Call ahead so the office is ready when you arrive.
About the Author
JAX Dental Studio, Jacksonville, FL
Dr. Poblenz is the lead dentist at JAX Dental Studio in Jacksonville, Florida. Fellowship in the Academy of General Dentistry. Member of the American Dental Association. Over 30 years of combined team experience in general, cosmetic, and restorative dental care for Jacksonville patients.
