Custom-fitted sports mouthguards at Whitehorse Dental on Canterbury Road — made from a scan of your own teeth to help protect growing and adult smiles through the sporting season.
A custom sports mouthguard is a protective appliance made by the dentist from an impression or scan of your own teeth, so it fits the exact shape of your mouth. It's worn for contact, ball and stick sports — AFL/footy, basketball, hockey, netball, soccer, martial arts and cricket wicket-keeping among them — where it helps absorb and spread the force of a blow and reduces the risk of injury to teeth, lips and gums (it doesn't guarantee an injury won't happen). The Australian Dental Association recommends a custom-made, professionally fitted mouthguard over store-bought or "boil-and-bite" types, which fit poorly and give less protection. At Whitehorse Dental, 129A Canterbury Road, Blackburn, Dr Melissa Huang has made custom guards for local sporty kids and adults for over 20 years — usually across two short visits. Consultations are available in Mandarin, Cantonese, Teochew, Shanghainese and English, and Saturday appointments make it easy to get fitted before weekend sport.
| At a glance | Custom-fitted (dentist) | Boil-and-bite | Stock (ready-made) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fit | Made to your teeth from a scan/impression | Softened and bitten at home — approximate | One-size, no shaping |
| Comfort | Snug, stays in place | Often bulky or loose | Bulky, poor fit |
| Protection | ADA-recommended; more protective | Less protection (fits poorly) | Least protection |
| Breathing & speech | Easier to breathe and talk | Can obstruct if loose | Often needs clenching to hold in |
Comparison of mouthguard types per Australian Dental Association guidance (teeth.org.au/sports-mouthguards).
A mouthguard can only do its job — helping to absorb and spread the force of a knock — if it stays put and covers the teeth properly. Boil-and-bite and off-the-shelf guards are shaped around an average jaw, not yours, so they often end up bulky, loose, or working their way out of place during play. Because a custom guard is built from an impression or digital scan of your own teeth, it sits securely without you having to bite or clench to hold it there, and it's easier to breathe and talk through. The Australian Dental Association makes the same point: a custom-made, professionally fitted mouthguard is recommended over store-bought or boil-and-bite types, which fit poorly and give less protection.
Fit matters even more for growing mouths. As children's and teenagers' teeth come through and their jaws develop, a guard that fitted well last season may not fit this one — so kids often need a refit or a new guard more frequently than adults. We check the fit at your regular visits and let you know when it's time.
A mouthguard is worth wearing for any sport where knocks to the face are possible — whether that's a stray elbow, a stick, a ball or a fall. Around Blackburn, the sports we most often fit guards for include:
Both children and adults benefit — but a custom guard is especially worthwhile for kids playing weekend sport, since a growing mouth is far better served by a fitted guard than a boil-and-bite one. If you're organising the whole family before the season, our children's dentistry visits are a good time to have a guard made alongside a regular check-up.
Getting a custom guard made is quick and usually takes two short visits, often ready in a short turnaround:
Australian Dental Association (ADA) item numbers identify each procedure on your receipt and private health-fund claim. They're national identifiers — not fees — so they're the same wherever you're treated, and worth quoting when you check your cover with your health fund. For a custom mouthguard, the code you'll see is:
| ADA item | Procedure |
|---|---|
| 151 | Provision of a mouthguard – indirect (custom, laboratory-made from a model of your teeth) |
The figures below are general indicative ranges across Australian clinics (2025), provided as a guide only — they are not a quote and not a statement of Whitehorse Dental’s fees. Your exact cost is confirmed in a written treatment plan after your assessment.
| Type | Indicative range (AUD) |
|---|---|
| Custom-fitted sports mouthguard | $180 – $400 |
Indicative Australian ranges (2025) shown as a general guide only, not a quote. If you hold private extras cover, we can help you check your rebate before you commit.
The cost of a custom mouthguard varies with the number of layers and the thickness of the guard — a thicker, multi-layer guard for heavy-contact sport sits at the higher end of the range. The figures above are an indicative guide, not a quote; your exact cost is confirmed in a written treatment plan. If you hold private extras cover, a custom mouthguard may attract a rebate under ADA item 151, so it's worth checking your cover before you commit.
Blackburn is a family suburb with a lot of junior and community sport. In the 2021 Census, 15.8% of residents were aged 0–14, and 48.2% of local families were couples with children — which shows up every weekend on the ovals and courts around the area. Blackburn High School and local primary schools such as Laburnum, Blackburn and Blackburn Lake, along with community clubs, field junior teams across footy, basketball, netball, soccer and hockey. For a child whose teeth are still coming through, a custom guard made before the season protects a growing mouth far better than a boil-and-bite one — and because we're open on Saturdays, it's easy to fit one in before weekend sport. From our Canterbury Road practice we look after families across Blackburn, Blackburn North and South, and neighbouring Box Hill, Nunawading, Forest Hill, Mitcham and Vermont South. Both Blackburn and Laburnum stations are a short walk away, and there's on-site parking.
Two things worth knowing. First, a sports mouthguard is not the same as a night guard for grinding — if your concern is clenching, grinding or jaw soreness rather than sport, that's covered under our TMJ and jaw pain care. Second, even with a guard, a tooth that's knocked out during sport is a dental emergency: if a permanent tooth comes out, keep it moist (in milk or against the inside of the cheek), don't scrub the root, and get seen quickly — see our emergency dentist page for what to do. A mouthguard reduces the risk of these injuries; it doesn't remove it entirely, so knowing the emergency steps still matters.
Whitehorse Dental is at 129A Canterbury Road, Blackburn VIC 3130 — easily reached from across the eastern suburbs by train or car, with on-site parking. The ideal time to get a custom guard made is a week or two before the season starts, and our Saturday appointments make it easy to get the kids fitted before weekend sport. If it's been a while since your last visit, your first visit is a relaxed place to start. Call us on (03) 8838 8820 or book online to arrange a mouthguard fitting.
The Australian Dental Association recommends a custom-made, professionally fitted mouthguard over store-bought or 'boil-and-bite' types, which fit poorly and offer less protection. A boil-and-bite guard is softened in hot water and bitten into shape at home, so it tends to be bulky, loose, and prone to shifting mid-game. A custom guard is made from an impression or scan of your own teeth, so it fits snugly, stays in place, and lets you breathe and speak more easily. A mouthguard helps absorb and spread the force of a blow and reduces the risk of dental and orofacial injury — it doesn't guarantee that injury won't happen, but a well-fitted custom guard gives more reliable cushioning than a generic one.
For contact, ball and stick sports — AFL/footy, basketball, hockey, soccer, netball, martial arts and cricket wicket-keeping among them — a mouthguard is strongly encouraged, and many local clubs and schools recommend or require one. Blackburn fields a lot of junior and community teams, so it's worth having a custom guard made before the season starts. The ADA recommends a custom-fitted guard over a boil-and-bite version because it fits better and offers more protection, helping to reduce the risk of injury to teeth, lips and gums during play.
Yes, we can make a custom guard for a growing mouth, and it's far better fitted than a boil-and-bite one. Because children's and teenagers' teeth and jaws are still developing, the fit does change over time, so a growing child may need a new guard or a refit more often than an adult — sometimes each season. We check the fit at your regular visits and let you know when it makes sense to have a new one made.
As a general guide, a custom-fitted sports mouthguard in Australia is around $180 to $400. This is an indicative range only, not a quote — your exact cost depends on the number of layers and the thickness of the guard, and is confirmed in a written treatment plan. The relevant ADA item number is 151 (provision of a mouthguard – indirect). If you hold private extras cover, a mouthguard may attract a rebate under item 151, so it's worth checking your cover before you commit.
The Australian Dental Association item number for a custom (lab-made) mouthguard is 151 — 'provision of a mouthguard – indirect', meaning it's made indirectly from a model of your teeth rather than moulded directly in the mouth. This number appears on your receipt and any health-fund claim. It's a national identifier that's the same wherever you're treated — not a fee.
We're open Monday to Saturday, so you can often fit an appointment in before weekend sport. A custom guard usually takes two short visits — one to take an impression or scan, and one to fit and adjust the finished guard — so it helps to start a week or two before the season begins rather than the night before a game.
We take an impression or a digital scan of your teeth, which is sent to a laboratory where your guard is custom-made from a model of your mouth (ADA item 151). When it's ready, you come back for a fitting — we check the fit, comfort and bite and make any small adjustments so it sits securely without feeling tight. Custom guards can also be made in club or team colours if you'd like.
No — they're different appliances for different jobs. A sports mouthguard is designed to absorb and spread impact during sport, while a night guard (occlusal splint) is worn during sleep to help protect the teeth from grinding and clenching. If your concern is grinding, clenching or jaw soreness, that's covered on our TMJ and jaw pain page rather than here.
Yes, a custom mouthguard can be made to fit over braces, and this is often recommended for anyone playing sport during orthodontic treatment. Because your teeth move as treatment progresses, the fit needs to be reviewed more regularly. Let us know you or your child are wearing braces when you come in for the fitting.
Yes. Consultations at Whitehorse Dental are available in Mandarin, Cantonese, Teochew, Shanghainese and English, so families can talk through the fitting and care of a mouthguard in the language they're most comfortable with — throughout the appointment, not just at the front desk.