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What is a sports mouthguard?
It is a multi-laminated, custom-fitted appliance to be worn during any sports activities with a potential for contact to the face with a ball, bat, stick, fist, or other player, etc.

How are sportsguards made?
An impression of the upper and lower teeth is made with a medium called alginate. A recording of the upper and lower jaws' most comfortable contact position is made with wax like wafers. Stone models are created from the impressions, the upper is used to mold the laminate materials over, and the lower makes a bite imprint on the appliance in the position recorded from the wax. There are five different ways to fabricate the appliance depending upon the sport or age of the athlete.
Junior: 1 layer of EVA (lamination) material with added biting protection. Thickness is 3mm. Designed specifically for children under 11 years old with mixed dentition.
Light: 2 layers of EVA material with 3mm total thickness. Designed for wrestling, volleyball, mountain biking, and motorcross.
Medium: 2 layers of EVA material with 5mm total thickness. Specially for soccer, rugby, basketball, softball, rollerblading, skating and skateboarding.
Heavy: 2 layers of EVA material with 3 power dispersion bands and 5mm thickness. Designed for baseball, football, racquetball, martial arts and boxing.
Heavy Pro: 3 layers EVA material with one hardened layer and 5mm thickness. A custom fit for ice, field or street hockey, kickboxing, and other heavy contact sports that involve blows from pointed objects.*

Why should I wear one?
According to the American Dental Association, more than 200,000 oral injuries are prevented annually in the country by sports mouthguards. While this is an impressive preventative figure, it is unfortunately estimated by the National Youth Sports Foundation that more than 5 million teeth will be knocked out in sporting activities this year. These oral traumas will happen to children, high school and college level athletes. In fact, dental injuries are the most common type of orofacial injury sustained during participation in sports.*

The benefits of sports mouthguard protection has been well documented. In 1995, Dr. Raymond Flander's study on the high incidence of oral injuries showed that in football, where mouthguards are mandatory, only .07% of all injuries involved teeth and the oral cavity. Conversely, in basketball where mouthguards are not worn, 34% of all injuries to players involved teeth and/or the oral cavity.*

What makes the dentist-fitted sportguards better than the ones sold at sporting goods stores that I can make myself?
Comparing dentist fabricated, custom sports mouthguards with stock or boil and bite type mouthguards, typically found in sporting goods stores, reveals significant differences. Boil and bite type mouthguards do not fit as accurately as custom fabricated types, so they often are uncomfortable and frequently interfere with the athletes breathing and speaking ability. At the First International Symposium on Dental Biomaterials in August of 1993, Dr. J. Park, Phd reported that boil and bite mouthguards provide a false sense of protection due to the dramatic decrease in thickness when the athlete bites it into place during its softened state. In June 1995, the Brisbane Australia Sunday Mail reported a life threatening incident where a 17 year old athlete had his boil and bite mouthguard dislodged at impact, causing the device to become wedged into his oropharynx. The athlete collapsed and was taken to the hospital.* Dr. McBride can ensure a tight fit with a custom sportsguard. It would require a good grip with your fingers to be removed so that you are safe from risks such as that.

Should I wear a mouthguard for MY sport?
Yes, if you play volleyball, soccer, rugby, basketball, football, softball, baseball, racquetball, hockey or wrestle, mountain bike, motorcross, rollerblade, skate, skateboard, box, kickbox or practice the martial arts. This includes any sport which would have the potential for objects hitting your mouth, or your mouth hitting objects.

There is a variety of colors to choose from: bright red, green, black, dark yellow, bright yellow, hot pink, dark red, purple, light blue, orange, dark blue, white and clear. (A medium, heavy or heavy pro can be a combination of three colors.)

*Glidewell Laboratories, Playsafe Dentist Fitted Multilaminated Mouthguards, Pamphlet, Distributed 1999 and 2000. Further references to JADA 1984, volume 109, pg.s 84-7; Dental Injury Fact Sheet, National Youth Sports Foundation for the Prevention of Athletic Injury, Inc., Needham, Massachusetts, 1992; JADA April 1995, volume 126, pg.s 491-6;Padilla, Ray D.D.S., Sports Dentistry and Prevention of Oral Injuries, CDA Sessions, Anaheim, CA, May 12, 1995;Park et al, Methods of Improved Mouthguards, First International Symposium on Biomaterials, Taejon, Korea, August 1993.