Don’t Let Your ‘Guard Down

Hey, all you mouthguard “chewers” out there. I’m talking to you. That’s right, you’re busted. Keep that mouthguard in your mouth when you’re practicing or playing. And when you take it out, treat it with care to make sure your mouthguard keeps working for you.

If your mouthguard is uncomfortable, consider upgrading to a higher-end mouthguard, or even a custom mouthguard for a perfect fit. The better the fit, the less likely you are to remove it and chew on it. Remember, you can change the shape, and therefore the fit, of a mouthguard by chewing on it which can make it more uncomfortable – and hard to fit back into your mouth. Not to mention that your teeth and jaw won’t be as protected if you wear a beat-up mouthguard.

Take the pledge: I refuse to compromise my safety and performance by chewing on my mouthguard. Be safe. Play hard. Honor your mouthguard. No chewing!

Blackhawks star and notorious mouthguard-chewer Patrick Kane may have his own bobblehead, but what about his own teeth?

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Upper Versus Lower Mouthguards: What’s the Difference?

Are you wearing the right type of mouthguard? Most athletes choose mouthguards that cover their upper teeth rather than their lower teeth. Why? Because upper mouthguards dominate the category on store shelves and athletes have grown up wearing uppers and simply don’t know the difference.

High-quality upper mouthguards offer a majority of athletes’ strong protection against oral and jaw injury. But we’re finding athletes who wear helmets with face shields, such as football, hockey and lacrosse players, can be even more comfortable and better protected with lower guards. These types of athletes often take blows to their heads during game play, which can lead to temporomandibula joint damage.

According to an article written by Noshir Mehta, a professor from a leading dental school university, dental-quality lower mouthguards, such as Shock Doctor’s Custom Mouthguard, can hold an individual’s jaw in a stable height and position in conjunction with his or her upper teeth.

So be smart about your safety! The next time you or your young athlete is in need of a new mouthguard, before automatically covering up those top chewers, ask yourself if you’re a good candidate for lower protection.

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A Good Reminder About the Importance of Mouthguards

A recent article from BusinessWeek highlights the importance of mouthguards, even for non-contact sports. Naturally, we agree!

The article quotes Dr. Matthew Messina, American Dental Association (ADA) commercial advisor:

“You don’t have to be on the football field or in a hockey rink to benefit from a properly fitted mouthguard…. Findings in sports dentistry show that even in non-contact sports, such as gymnastics, mouthguards will help protect participants, and many experts recommend that everyone — from children to adults — wear a mouth guard during any recreational activity that might pose a risk of injury to the mouth, including practice and training sessions.”

The article goes on to note that “custom-fitted mouthguards are considered by many to offer the best protection,” which is why we are so excited about our new Shock Doctor Custom Mouthguard. The customized fit it provides ensures that your mouthguard never falls out and your teeth, gums and mouth are protected at all times. Of course, there’s also the 190 color combinations and the ability to personalize it with your name and number.

Whether it’s our Custom Mouthguard or one of our “boil and bite” mouthguards, make sure to keep those teeth safe! If you’re not sure what kind is right for you, check out our Mouthguard Buyers Guide.

View the original article here

Training and Exercising With Mouthguard In

Thought I'd share this great article I found about using your mouthguard while perform exercises and training.



Coming from a background in combat sports, I am used to seeing my teammates train while wearing their mouthpieces. It is accepted practice that training with the mouthpiece will help your cardio, as it makes breathing more difficult. Scientists have been investigating the idea that mouthpieces aid in performance for the last four decades with varying conclusions. A recent study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning investigated the use of a mouthpiece during resistance exercise, as research indicating that the mouthpiece aids in building muscle strength and endurance has been difficult to replicate.






Researchers in this study tested the players’ cortisol levels before, during, and after a resistance workout. Cortisol specifically was measured due to the desire to test the theory that clenching or biting during stress can lead to decreased cortisol release. Previously it was shown biting down or chewing during stressful mental exercise decreased stress response in humans. It was also demonstrated in rats that biting down on a stick caused a decrease in corticotrophin releasing hormone. This hormone is part of the hyothalamo-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis and is elemental to the production of cortisol. If mouthpieces were determined to decrease cortisol levels, some of their performance enhancing benefits could be scientifically explained.






Test subjects were all between 18-22 years of age and were Division I football players. They were given two identical resistance exercise workouts, two weeks apart, and wore the mouthpiece during one of them. Players were custom fitted with Under Armour mouthpieces by a dentist. The workouts consisted of a 10-minute plyometric warm-up followed by sets of hang cleans, dead lifts, and single leg overhead shoulder press. Various assistance and mobility exercises were performed in between the main lifts.






Researchers found:

• 10 minutes post exercise there was a 51% difference in cortisol levels between players wearing and not wearing mouthpieces, with non-mouthpiece wearing having the higher cortisol levels. 
• Mouthpiece wearers experienced a 29% drop in cortisol levels between the completion of their workout and 10 minute post-workout measurement. 
• Non-mouthpiece wearers, on the contrary, experienced a 48% increase in cortisol from the beginning of their workout to the 10 minute post-workout measurement. 

The data from this study showed that both groups, mouthpiece wearers and non-mouthpiece wearers, experienced a similar shift in cortisol levels during their actual workout, but the recovery post workout was dramatically different. Mouthpiece wearers recovered significantly faster, exhibiting much lower levels of cortisol within 10 minutes of the workout. This would indicate that cortisol was available to the athlete when necessary, but the mouthpiece allowed a better potential for recovery from physical effort without the protein degradation typically caused by excess cortisol.


Further research is being done on the HPA axis, which as stated earlier is essential to cortisol production, and the belief that it is connected to the jaw muscles. If wearing a mouthpiece leads to less stress on the jaw, the HPA could have a decreased stress response. Therefore wearing a mouthpiece could be a direct connection to controlling cortisol levels in an athlete, decreasing protein degradation, and increasing recovery.


source:http://breakingmuscle.com/news/can-wearing-mouthguard-increase-your-performance

Concussion Prevention Law May Come Soon

Did you know that the House approved a bill that would establish guidelines on how to prevent, identify and treat concussions, including how soon a student-athlete can return to play? It is formally known as the Concussion Treatment and Care Tools (ConTACT) Act, and was first presented by Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.) and Sen. Robert Menendez. (D-N.J.). Pascrell proposed the bill, which now requires Senate approval, after two incidents involving New Jersey high schools students. One died in 2008 after returning to a football game without recovering from a previous concussion.  Another suffered 11 concussions in four years and was forced to give up basketball.
The proposed legislation requires that Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services gather medical and athletic experts within two years to set concussion management guidelines for all athletes in all sports, ages 5 to 18, including the decision of when a concussed athlete can return to a sport. It also allows for grants to states for helping them implement those guidelines and for the testing equipment to evaluate the effect of the concussions.
The next steps for this bill will be the Senate, after which President Obama could sign it into law.
Separate from this Act, the House Education and Labor Committee held its second hearing on the more recent Protecting Student Athletes from Concussions Act, listening to testimony from five experts on youth concussions and their possible consequences. Its bill would require public schools districts to develop and put in place their own plans for sports concussion management, would explicitly require that any athlete suspected of concussion must be removed from play until cleared by an appropriate health care professional and call for special scholastic services for athletes in recovery.
This is great news for all that care about youth sports. We’ll keep you posted on the latest legislation developments on this blog.

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Basic Mouthguard Information

Are you the athletic type of person? If yes, chances are, you've already worn a mouthguard (also called a mouth piece) in an occasion or two. Mouthguards are dental equipment that basically do the job of protecting teeth from being chipped, dislocated and pulled out. By wearing mouthguards, we can be rest assured of 90% protection from any tooth injury when playing contact sports.


Mouthguards are also worn by patients who suffer from bruxism (involuntary and relentless grinding of the teeth) and TMJ disorders. These specialized mouth guards are custom-made by a dental technician. People suffering from extreme bruxism are thoroughly advised not to wear over-the-counter mouth guards or they may suffer far more detrimental complications on their teeth. These specialized mouthguards are also only worn when one is sleeping, as self-restraint during the day is the best practice that is advised by dentists.


There are basically three types of mouth guards:


1.) Ready-made mouthguards are the most common mouthguards sold in the market because of their low prices. They are typically disposable and aren't really advised by dentists because of their non-custom fit and their inability to protect the back teeth. They are available in small, medium and large sizes. Wearing these mouthpieces may hinder one's ability to speak naturally or to even speak audibly at all. These are not safe to wear when playing contact sports because they don't give the much-needed protection by the teeth. These mouthpieces cannot be worn by people who have protruding teeth.


Stock mouthguards are sold for about $1 to $15.


2.) Boil-and-bite mouthguards are available at sporting goods stores and various drugs stores. By first boiling the mouthguards, then biting onto them once they are softened, the mouth pieces adapt to the shape and contour of the mouth, giving the user a more precise bite and better protection from any further damage that may be caused by an irregular bite.


Boil-and-bite mouthguards cost about $1 to $40, depending on the brand that manufactures them.


3.) Custom mouthguards are preferred by both amateur and professional athletes, as well as dentists, because of the maximum level of protection these dental devices give and their seemingly perfect fit to any person's teeth. Getting a dental impression with custom mouthguards is basically just the same as getting impressions for dentures. By biting on the putty-like substance, the impressions are sent to a professional dental technician for the plaster cast to be built, which will be the basis for the custom mouthguard.


Custom mouthguards are pricier than other mouthpieces. The fair price for these ranges from $100 to $300. Custom mouthguards made from other special material often cost more than $1,000. These "special" custom mouthpieces are used by people who compete in extreme sports, like wrestling, Muay Thai and mixed martial arts.


Before you get your mouthguard, the dental technician will send your dentist a plaster cast that you will have to try out before the final product gets sent. If you feel any minor discomfort wearing the cast, it's very important to tell your dentist about it to make the necessary adjustments on the final product.


When a mouthguard is worn, there also must be proper care attributed to owning it, especially if it is custom-made. Mouthguards should be cleaned and scrubbed with a toothbrush and then rinsed with cold water. A mouthguard usually comes with a perforated case so it's imperative for one not to lose the container. Also, one should always take care of the mouthguard whenever wearing it; any abuse given to the mouthguard, like chewing and taking it on and off your mouth can rip or pierce the material. Do not imitate the athletes you see on TV who play with their mouthpieces, since they have lots of money to buy new ones and they probably have spares lying around.


Funnily enough, some people sleep with their mouthguards on and forget that these delicate equipment should only be worn during practice sessions and competitions to avoid loosening. Custom-made mouthguards usually have a lifespan of two years, so it's imperative to make the most out of that usage time.


Source:
Kahveci, Kyle "Mouthguards - What You Need to Know."Mouthguards - What You Need to Know. 26 Jul. 2010EzineArticles.com. 7 Nov. 2011.http://EzineArticles.com/4739566