At a minimum, you will want to rinse and brush your mouth guard each morning when you wake up. As soon as you take your mouth guard out of your mouth, put it under a stream of water from the sink and rinse it off.
Some people think that this is enough, and throw their mouth guard in the case, going on with their day. Though this will certainly rinse away some of the bacteria that has built up on the mouth guard overnight, it definitely isn’t enough for any lengthy amount of time. Instead, you will want to take your toothbrush and toothpaste, and after you rinse the mouth guard off, use the toothpaste and toothbrush like you are brushing your own teeth. You will want to make sure to get all areas of the mouth guard with the toothbrush and toothpaste, including areas that might be hidden.
As you might know, over time, ruts can develop in the mouth guard where your teeth rest and those are ideal areas for bacteria build up. Additionally, make sure you are using a toothpaste that is no-abrasive and a toothbrush that has soft bristles, as you don’t want to risk scratching your mouth guard with the abrasiveness of the toothpaste. It only takes a small area for bacteria to flourish.
The Recommended Methods For Cleaning Your Mouth Guard Include:
- Method#1 – Toothbrush and toothpaste (You are here)
- Method#2 – Mouth Rinse – Learn More »
- Method#3 – Soap and Water – Learn More »
- Method#4 – Mouth guard cleaning tablets – Learn More »
- Method#5 – Dental sanitizing devices – Learn More »
- Method#6 – Natural cleaning methods – Learn More »
- Method#7 – Professional dental cleaning – Learn More »
- Top 5 Dental Labs For Custom Mouth Guards - March 30, 2020
- denLAB Direct – Dental Lab Full Review - June 27, 2016
- SleepGuard Biofeedback Headband | Full Review - June 16, 2016
While most websites seem to advise against using toothpaste, my dentist told me to use toothpaste every morning. So I’m actually quite surprised that so many say you shouldn’t do it.
The one thing that’s really concerning me right now, however, is how to get rid of the dried toothpaste that gets left behind? I’ve tried rinsing several times and deep cleaning and nothing has helped to get rid of the excess toothpaste. Will this be an issue? Like will prolonged exposure to the toothpaste have any negative affects on my teeth?
I’ve read quite a few webpages for tips on daily cleaning of the mouth guard and all except you recommend against brushing with toothpaste. Instead they recommend dish soap or hand soap. How do you reply?
Ugh never mind lol. This is what I get for doing this at 2 am…
I have no idea why it says my name is “Scott Crossen”. I seriously did not write that as being my name….