Can you remember the first time you saw your mouth guard? If you can, you’ll recall how pristine it looked after ordering it from us. However, over time, you may have also noticed it turning yellow — a far cry from its original and clear semi-transparent hue.
Now that your mouth guard has turned yellow, you’ll likely have second thoughts about putting it back on before bed. What led to this discoloration? What do I do about a yellow mouth guard?
Read on to find out the answers and some oral health habits to keep your mouth and mouth guard clean and healthy.
Why Does My Mouth Guard Turn Yellow?
Your mouth guard turns yellow because of bacterial and plaque buildup that has gone uncleaned for a long time. Here’s how bacterial and plaque discolor your mouth guard:
Your mouth guard is similar to your teeth enamel. Like your teeth, your mouth guard is susceptible to bacteria, saliva, and food residue. Over time, the dirt that collects in your mouth guard accumulates and consolidates with the help of saliva.
As microbes and residue solidify, they take on a yellowish hue. Over time, the yellow discoloration becomes darker until it becomes noticeable.
By the time you notice your mouth guard’s yellowish discoloration, it will be challenging to return it to its pristine condition.
What Should I Do If My Mouth Guard Turns Yellow?
Indeed, it’s challenging to restore the clearness of your mouth guard. Nevertheless, it’s certainly possible. When your mouth guard turns yellow, the traditional way to clean it is with warm water, toothpaste, and a light-bristled brush.
Using warm water, rinse off any solid particles from your mouth guard. From here, apply some toothpaste to your mouth guard using a light-bristled toothbrush. Continue to brush your mouth guard until the yellowish discolorations fade. After that, rinse off the toothpaste using warm water.
Under no circumstances should you blow dry the mouth guard as the heat may warp it, nor should you leave it to dry in direct sunlight. Instead, leave your mouth guard to air-dry in an area that has good ventilation but is away from the sun.
You can also perform the same steps using soap instead of toothpaste. If you’re using soap, ensure that it’s not alcohol-based to protect your mouth guard from corrosion.
Another way to easily deep clean your mouth guard is to use the Remi Ultrasonic Mouth Guard Cleaning Device. Not only does this device clean and freshen your mouth guards, but it works equally as well on retainers or clear aligners. It also extends the life of mouth guards and helps to prevent future yellowing of your custom mouth guards.
As we’ve mentioned, your mouth guard is a bit like your teeth. With that in mind, you can protect your mouth guard using the same oral health habits that protect your teeth.
Let’s go over these oral health habits in greater detail.
Flossing
Flossing will prevent unseen food residue from staying in your mouth. As a result, no residue ends up on your mouth guard, so the chances of it turning yellow will decrease.
Brushing Your Teeth Regularly (Particularly Before Bed)
Like your teeth, your mouth guard is susceptible to bacterial build-up. The build-up will result in your mouth guard turning yellow. To prevent this from happening, you must brush your teeth regularly to minimize bacterial and plaque accumulation on your mouth guard — especially at night.
Whenever possible, clean your mouth guard as frequently as possible. Think of doing this as a preventive measure that keeps your mouth guard free from plaque.
Control Your Sugar Intake
Controlling your ingestion of sweets isn’t just good for your metabolism. Keeping your sugar intake in check also protects your teeth and mouth guard from plaque.
Plaque forms mainly because of residual carbohydrates on your teeth and mouth guard. By controlling your sugar intake, you’ll minimize bacterial adhesion on your mouth guard and teeth. This will result in your teeth staying white and your mouth guard remaining clear.
Key Takeaway: The Secret To Clean Teeth and Mouth Guards Lies in Prevention
It’s a cliche to say that prevention beats cure, but it’s true. If you want to protect your teeth and mouth guard from turning yellow, you need to dial in your oral health habits.
Oral health habits become easier to stick to with the right oral health products. If you’re looking for oral health cleaning products for your mouth guard, check out our Ultrasonic Mouth Guard Cleaning Device.
For everything else you need for your teeth, we’ve got your back. Visit us and choose from a variety of custom mouth mouth guards for teeth grinding and teeth-whitening accessories that can protect your smile.
