# Building a Better Athletic Mouth Guard



## Trix (Dec 15, 2009)

> _MINIMAL teams up with a Beverly Hills dentist to create an alternative to the traditional "boil and bite" guard._
> 
> If you played sports as a kid—or have a kid who plays sports—you're probably familiar with the cheap, ubiquitous and not terribly effective "boil and bite" mouth guards sold at most sporting-goods stores. Scott Wilson was certainly familiar with them—he remembers watching his daughter struggle to mold one in preparation for lacrosse season, with tears of frustration running down her face. "I was like, 'Okay, there has to be a better way to do this,'" says Wilson, who is the founder and CEO of the Chicago design firm MINIMAL.
> 
> ...


http://www.core77.com/posts/41345/B...etic-Mouth-Guard?utm_source=continued_reading

Its an attempt to produce a superior & professional alternative to boil and bite mouthguards that people can pick up for $20.


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## TheAuger (Jun 30, 2011)

I know mouthguards are mainly used for dental protection, but I would be curious to know how their shock absorption compares to other types.

I personally used a custom fitted top/bottom mouthguard created by my dentist. If I remember right, the total cost was about $150. I switched from the boil & bite guard after I had some expensive dental work done in my late 20s. $150 seems cheap after you thousands on expensive dental work.


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## Voiceless (Nov 8, 2010)

Trix said:


> http://www.core77.com/posts/41345/B...etic-Mouth-Guard?utm_source=continued_reading
> 
> Its an attempt to produce a superior & professional alternative to boil and bite mouthguards that people can pick up for $20.


It's not really a new idea actually. I've seen 2 component filling mass mouthguards a long time ago. The problem is still that the frame doesn't change size or form, so it does NOT fit perfectly if you don't happen to have exactly the perfect shape of teeth/jaw which 99% of the population don't have.

For competitive combat sports or even just heavy sparring, I'd strongly recommend custom made multi-layer mouthguards. It fits much better, protects better and you can breath better. If you spend 80 bucks for decent boxing gloves, another 80 for MMA gloves, another 80 for shinguards, another 80 for head gear, probably another 150-200 for clothes (rashguard, shorts, Gi etc.), 50-100 or more on monthly gym fees - why then go for a cheap mouthguard¿ Teeth are one of the bodyparts that once broken don't heal.

http://www.erkodent.com/dental/download/sonst/PS_fly_EN.pdf
http://www.erkodent.com/dental/html_english/video_ps_heavy_pro.html

Including positive model of your teeth/jaw it cost about $200 and fits so tight you can't get it out of your mouth without using your fingers. I'm sure you can find something similar in the US.


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## Trix (Dec 15, 2009)

Should mention it costs $20 and comes with a $15,000 dental insurance guarantee. 

From the article it seems like they put a decent amount of time and effort into coming up with a decent product, although I can't say I've tried it, or have any clue as to how good or bad it is.

It probably won't be as good as a more expensive professional product but for those who don't have the money to afford a custom mouthpiece maybe it wouldn't be too bad? I don't know, I just posted it thinking maybe it would have a niche somewhere in the low end market and represent some kind of progress over the old boil and bite variety.


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## Voiceless (Nov 8, 2010)

Trix said:


> Should mention it costs $20 and comes with a $15,000 dental insurance guarantee.


Have you seen the waranty¿ Other mouthguard companies have similar insurance guarantees they make advertisement with. But if you read the actual waranty it usually says you get $200-500 per tooth, which may be added up to a maximum of $10,000 (or whatever the sum). One broken tooth is usually more expensive than that what you get.



> From the article it seems like they put a decent amount of time and effort into coming up with a decent product, although I can't say I've tried it, or have any clue as to how good or bad it is.


That article is basically just an advertisement. Of course they try to tell how much "research" is behind the product.



> It probably won't be as good as a more expensive professional product but for those who don't have the money to afford a custom mouthpiece maybe it wouldn't be too bad? I don't know, I just posted it thinking maybe it would have a niche somewhere in the low end market and represent some kind of progress over the old boil and bite variety.


Of course, any mouthguard is better than none. But as I said, because of the "one size fits all"-approach for the frame, I'm not sure, whether it's actually better fitting and more comfortable in your mouth than a good boil and bite which at least follows the form of your teeth/jaw overall.

And as I said, people usually spend hundreds of dollars for gear and clothing, but often they try to safe money on the mouthguard, while there damage is actually permanent.


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## Joabbuac (Jan 31, 2009)

"one size fits all" is why i have gone through to many mouth guards... if i can't slice them down to size for my tiny 10yr old girl sized mouth, then its useless. Its why for years i have been using a shitty £5 boil and bite... basically just a bit of rubber. 

Never lost any teeth though... and my defense is kinda shit, i have had some jaw pain, up near the joint area... always wonder if that is from taking a shot with my mouth open, or due to the bad mouthpiece.


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## RangerClydeTheBlue (Jul 11, 2012)

Joabbuac said:


> "one size fits all" is why i have gone through to many mouth guards... if i can't slice them down to size for my tiny 10yr old girl sized mouth, then its useless. Its why for years i have been using a shitty £5 boil and bite... basically just a bit of rubber.
> 
> Never lost any teeth though... and my defense is kinda shit, i have had some jaw pain, up near the joint area... always wonder if that is from taking a shot with my mouth open, or due to the bad mouthpiece.


My one's a fiver boil and bite too.

Is that the only time you've got jaw pain near the joint? Cause if so...your defence isn't shit haha. If you get caught with a clean one with your mouth opened, your jaw gets knocked off "track" and the ache is up at the corner where you took the shot from. Had it a few times in my life mostly taking punches as a kid from my big brother, but a few nasty ones in martial arts (specifically when I did karate) happened. Worst was when I got caught with a spinning hook kick once. Caught clean on the jaw after gassing so mouth was wide opened, never saw it coming. Teeth were miles off line for a week.


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## Joabbuac (Jan 31, 2009)

ClydebankBlitz said:


> My one's a fiver boil and bite too.
> 
> Is that the only time you've got jaw pain near the joint? Cause if so...your defence isn't shit haha. If you get caught with a clean one with your mouth opened, your jaw gets knocked off "track" and the ache is up at the corner where you took the shot from. Had it a few times in my life mostly taking punches as a kid from my big brother, but a few nasty ones in martial arts (specifically when I did karate) happened. Worst was when I got caught with a spinning hook kick once. Caught clean on the jaw after gassing so mouth was wide opened, never saw it coming. Teeth were miles off line for a week.


Yeah that is what exactly i mean, in the corner... near the ear... its horrible, eating hurts too, feels like i can't clench my teeth straight for a few days. Happened countless times... Using nasal spray helps me, clears my nose out so i can breath through it better... less need to hang my mouth open.


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## RangerClydeTheBlue (Jul 11, 2012)

Joabbuac said:


> Yeah that is what exactly i mean, in the corner... near the ear... its horrible, eating hurts too, feels like i can't clench my teeth straight for a few days. Happened countless times... Using nasal spray helps me, clears my nose out so i can breath through it better... less need to hang my mouth open.


I thought you meant it only happened the one time and I was like "Is he kidding? I don't spar anything like what he does and even I've got it loads of times in my life" haha.

Worst one I ever got was surprisingly just a jab. I had only been in karate say for 3 months, first ever martial arts class and really first exercise since becoming a teenager. I was probably 19 at the time or something. So sparring was fairly hard for me and I'd be absolutely knackered when doing it. No muscle memory or anything. Mouth wide opened, I lunch forward to fake a shot and get caught with a jab that just cracks me a beast right on the side of the chin.

Now I'm not too bad. Again, I don't have the workout you do so it could change if I was to go to proper sparring. I think I've got a bit of practise in though that I might be able to keep my jaw shut for the duration, even when I'm absolutely out on my feet, but I guess I don't know until I do it. I HATED mouth guards anyways. Now with it being light contact we don't need them but in karate, when you're shattered the mouth guard (at least boil and bite) is so ridiculously restrictive of your breathing.


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