Sports Mouth Guards - The Ultimate Preventative Measure

Introduction to Sports Mouth Guards
Today Mouth Guards are used in many sports including: football, boxing, field hockey, ice hockey, wrestling, soccer, basketball, gymnastics, lacrosse, volleyball, and weight lifting. The first sport to introduce mouth guards was boxing in the late 1920’s and early 1930’s.

History of Mouth Guard
In 1962 the National Alliance of Football rules committee adopted a ruling that “each player shall wear an intra-oral mouth an tooth protection device.” In 1974, the NCAA made mouth guards mandatory for college football. A 1982 study reported that of the 2,000,000 participants in high school football, where 50% of the injuries previously related to the mouth and face, the mandatory usage of mouth protection cut the injury rate to the mouth and face to .35-. 45% of injuries.

Types of Mouth Guards
There are 4 types of sports mouth guards available today. The ready-made or stock mouth guard, the mouth-formed guard, known as the boil and bite, Custom guard type 1 and Custom guard type 2.

Stock Mouth guards are intended to fit any size mouth. They are Available in a limited number of sizes, and can be found in sporting goods store and pharmacies. Usually they are Made of rubber, or polyvinyl acetate-polyethylene polymer. Unfortunately, their physical design results in a poor fit, thus they don’t work very well.

Mouth Formed Guards are Commonly known as “Boil and Bite” and are Made of Polyvinyl acetate. They are preformed by manufacturers in standard sizes. The athlete take the preformed guard, places it in boiling water, then cold water, then the bites into it. The Advantages of Boil and Bite guard are that it can be refitted if not properly fitted first time, the Cost is relatively low, and all fitting procedures accomplished in one sitting. The Disadvantages of Boil and Bite guards are that they have Decreased retention over time due to hardening of the material, they have an Unbalanced bite which results in poor stability and they Cannot withstand the forces that can cause facial trauma.

The next type of guard is the Custom Fitted Mouth guard-Type 1. This mouth-guard is Custom fitted in the dental office. It is made of a 3 mm thick sheet of ethyl-vinyl acetate polymer. The material is Vacuum formed over a model of the athlete’s teeth. The Advantages of Type 1 Mouth guards are that they have Better retention than the boil and bite guard, they are Relatively inexpensive and they can be used for children in braces whose teeth are constantly moving. The Disadvantages of the Type 1 Mouth guard are that the Thickness of the guard can vary in different parts of guard. As a result, you May not get the 2.5 mm thickness needed in back teeth to protect against concussion and other trauma.

The last type of guard is the Custom Fitted Mouth guard-Type 2. These guards are Bi or Tri-laminated material that is thermal pressure molded. This material can be 2-5 mm thick. Ideally, we like to use 4-5mm. This Multilamination insures the necessary thickness to help prevent trauma. There are many Advantages of Custom Fitted Type 2 Guards. These guards have A Uniform thickness throughout as a result of the thermal pressure they are made under. They can be used for athletes who have missing teeth to get a true custom fit. These types of guards have the best fit, are the least bulky and have the best retention. Studies at Cal State Northridge showed that there was no difference in breathing between athletes wearing a type 2-mouth guard and control group. (S. Balikov et al). The excellent retention allows for minimal alterations in speech, making communication amongst teammates much easier.

Benefits of Mouth Guard Protection
Mouth guards help to protect the tongue, lips, and cheeks from being lacerated against the edges of the teeth. They also lessen the risk of injury to the front teeth by 90%. And Mouth guards lessen the risk of damage to the back teeth of either jaw following a blow to inferior aspect of the lower jaw. This type of blow causes traumatic closure of the jaw to occur. Such an impact can cause fracture of the back teeth. Mouth guards lessen the risk of jaw fractures by absorbing the energy of a traumatic blow to the chin.

Mouth guards and Concussion Prevention
In 1997 the CDC reported that an estimated 300,000 sports related brain concussions occur in the U.S. each year. With proper thickness in the posterior segment of the mouth guard, the mandible and maxilla are separated and the force transmitted to the base of the brain is substantially decreased or eliminated. A multilaminated mouth guard with the proper thickness of 3-5mm can reduce the rate of concussions. The most important function of a mouth guard is in the prevention of concussion and brain injuries, which can often present symptoms such as headaches and fainting.

In Conclusion
Mouth guards improve the confidence of players. Athletes can concentrate their efforts on the execution of their sport, rather than being worried about injury.