Should custom-fitted mouth guards be fabricated for children with traumatic brain or burn injuries who engage in lip or tongue biting?
• A: The long-term prognosis is often poor in these patients. For patients with transitory soft tissue injuries, conservative measures such as prefabricated bite blocks to get through the acute stage should be tried 1st.Patients who exhibit chronic chewing may require the fabrication of custom-fitted mouth guards, which may require the use of deep sedation or general anesthetic procedures to construct the appliance. The risk of these procedures would need to be weighed against the benefit of the bite guard.
