In the upcoming months I will be writing a series comparing the three most popular mouthguards in the market.
We all know the benefits of mouthguards in preventing tooth injury, in this article I will talk about mouthguards and their relation to preventing jaw injury. Also, I will compare three popular types of mouthguards and the comparative benefits and drawbacks they have in preventing jaw injuries.
In the above picture you see three mouthguard types. Starting from the left we have a standard store bought boil and bight mouthguard. In the middle is a Damage Control Custom Fit Mouthguard, and to the right is another boil and bite mouthguard with a plastic lining on the bottom.
The first mouthguard you can get at any Wal-Mart store for around two dollars. It can be trimmed with a pair of scissors if it extends too far back in your mouth and causes a gag reflex. You drop it into boiling water, put it in your mouth, bite down and suck. After the process is done you have a mouthguard somewhat fitted to your mouth. However, there is a problem that occurs during this forming process. When you bite down on the semi-melted mouthguards you compromise the thickness of the mouthguard when the upper and lower teeth come together into the mouthguard. This may not only cause the colliding and fracturing of your upper and lower teeth from a punch or landing on your jaw, but it may also cause jaw joint trauma. This occurs when your lower jaw is forced
up and damages the jaw joint (temporomandibular joint or TMJ). A mouthguard should create a gap to prevent TMJ injuries. Your standard boil and bites mouthguards offer minimal and in most cases no protection against such injuries.
Some boil and bite mouthguards have created a solution to the above problem.
Many of the now most popular mouthguards have a thick plastic layer which is inserted between the upper and lower teeth in which maintains the proper thickness and gap in the jaw to prevent the above mentioned injuries. These are sold at your sporting goods stores for ten to fifty dollars. These do offer you the protection of jaw injuries and tooth collision that your standard boil and bite m0uthguards do not; nevertheless, with a price, a price that inhibits the fighter or athlete from performing at his or her best performance.
As a result of the thick plastic insertion, you have a bigger, heaver and bulkier mouthguard. Therefore, you have a mouthguard that obstructs breathing because of its bulky size, and because of its heavy weight you have gravity pulling down on the mouthguard obstructing the fighters breathing all the more. Also, movement from the athlete and the blows a fighter receives can cause shifting of the mouthguard inside the fighter’s mouth causing it to fly out or dislodge. Furthermore, these types of mouthguards come in one standard size and may be too small for some consumers or too large for others. If they are too small you do not have proper protection for all areas of your teeth and jaw. If they are too large they cannot be trimmed down if the mouthguard extends too far back and causes a gag reflex. The number two compliant of these types of mouthguards, next to breath obstruction, is the gag reflex they cause.
Damage Control Custom Fit Mouthguards range from $119-$195. Damage Control Mouthguards are made from a mold fashioned from an impression of your upper teeth. These are the type of mouthguards your Dentist would make or suggest for the best ultimate protection. Because they are made from an exact replication of your upper teeth, you will not have a mouthguard too big or small for your mouth. In the above picture you can see that this custom fit mouthguard is much larger than the two store bought boil and bite mouthguards in discussion. Therefore, if this fighter, whom the Custom Fit Mouthguards belongs to, had used any two of the store bought mouthguards you can see above, they would not be large enough for his mouth offering minimal protection to his teeth and gum line area. Also, in spite of the size difference of the custom fit mouthguard, you have a mouthguard that pops on to your upper teeth allowing you too breath better than if you had any of the two smaller boil and bite mouthguards that tend to constantly shift in your mouth during competition causing breath obstruction and worries of dislodging. Moreover, because of Damage Control Mouthguards’ thicknesses, they not only offer superior protection against collision of your upper and lower teeth, but also the most optimal size gap to prevent jaw injuries.
As a result, Damage Control Custom Fit Mouthguards gives you confidence in having superior protection against jaw and tooth injury, increased performance because of greater oxygen intake, and better concentration and focus by not having to worry about a shifting less protective mouthguard. That is one of many reasons why Damage Control Mouthguards keep you in the fight!
