Eating solid food after custom mouthguard: the short version
You can eat solid food immediately after a mouthguard fitting, since nothing was done to your teeth. The rule to remember is never to eat with the guard in. Solid food and a mouthguard do not mix: you cannot chew properly against the soft material, it gets bitten through and distorted, and food is forced into the space between the guard and your teeth.
What is actually going on
A guard works by placing a resilient layer between the upper and lower teeth. Chew a granola bar or an orange slice with it in and several things happen. The teeth sink into the material and cut it, and those cuts and thin spots are where a guard later tears or fails to absorb a blow. Crumbs and sugars are pressed up under the edges and held against the gumline. And because the guard changes how your teeth meet, you cannot chew efficiently, which raises the chance of choking on a poorly chewed piece during play. For athletes who snack at halftime, the answer is a case in the kit bag. For night guard wearers, the last solid food should come before brushing, and the guard goes in after. A hard acrylic night guard can also crack if food is bitten against it.
The first time, step by step
A mouthguard fitting places no limits on eating, so the next meal is whatever you had planned. If impressions were taken, a few crumbs of the putty may be stuck between teeth or on the lips; a rinse and a brush deal with those before you eat. If you picked up the finished guard today, the thing to rehearse is the sequence around food: guard out and into its case, eat, rinse or brush, guard back in. On match days that means packing the case with your snacks. For a night guard, supper and any late snack come first. Ask your dentist at pickup how to clean it.
Eat Solid Food After Custom Mouthguard: What You Need to Know
Wait time
After a custom mouthguard, you can typically resume eating solid food immediately.
Why
No restrictions
Tips for Eating solid food After Custom Mouthguard
- 01Take the guard out for snacks and meals, set it in its case, and rinse your mouth with water before reinserting.
- 02Do not chew on the guard itself between plays, which damages it the same way food does.
- 03Finish eating, then brush, then put a night guard in, in that order.
- 04If the guard has bite-through holes or no longer fits snugly, ask your dentist whether it needs replacing.
Common mistakes
- 01Tucking the guard into a sock, pocket, or the top of a helmet during a halftime snack. It picks up grit and gets crushed or lost, and a dirty guard goes back over teeth that were just coated in food.
- 02Having a midnight snack and slipping the night guard back in without rinsing. Whatever was eaten stays pressed against the teeth under the plastic until morning.
- 03Chewing gum with a sports guard in to stay loose before a game. Gum sticks to the material, distorts the fit when pulled away, and gives the teeth the same cutting action on the guard that food does.
Other Activities After Custom Mouthguard
See when you can do other activities after your custom mouthguard:
Table 1 — Other activities after custom mouthguard
| Activity | Wait |
|---|---|
| Use a Straw | Immediately |
| Eat Normally | Immediately |
| Smoke | No restriction |
| Drink Alcohol | No restriction |
| Drive | Immediately |
| Exercise | Immediately |
Recovery info
Recovery timelines are general guidelines based on typical cases. Individual recovery may vary based on your health, the complexity of your procedure, and other factors. Your own dentist's or surgeon's post-operative instructions always take priority over anything on this page. Call them if you are unsure.