The American Dental Association recommends athletic mouth guards for anyone participating in activities that can cause mouth injuries. Use in contact sports such as football, lacrosse, and soccer are highly recommended but any sport that can involve a jar to the head like gymnastics and skateboarding should utilize mouthguards.
Night time teeth grinding, or bruxism, is often treated with a night guard. A night guard is a special, custom made appliance to help prevent grinding and the damage that can come from it. Many people are not even aware they grind their teeth at night, but left untreated can have long term complications.