SELECTING THE BEST ATHLETIC MOUTHGUARD FOR ORAL AND FACIAL PROTECTION.

Stock Mouthguard  Bulky, ill fitting, poor retention, & least protective.  Interferes with speech and breathing.	Boil & Bite Mouthguard  Bulky, ill fitting, poor retention, & gagging effect. Increased chance of injury, especially concussion, from a blow to the chin due to all posterior teeth are not covered.

Vacuum Custom  Made Mouthguard  Single layered mouthguards.  Superior to store bought stock and boil & bite because fabricated from a mold of your mouth are designed by your dentist. Vacuum machines are adequate for single layered mouthguards, which uses only low heat and vacuum. Single layer shows marked deformation at site of impact and  critical areas.	PRESSURE LAMINATED Custom Made Mouthguard Comfortable and most protective. Multiple layered of EVA material for minimal & consistent protective thickness in critical areas are achieved. Layers are chemically fused under high heat and pressure for efficient and complete lamination. Lamination type mouthguard provides the very best in oral and facial protection as well as concussion deterrence.

Ill-fitting and Poor Protection against Oral and Facial Injuries:

Photo of stock mouthguard after several weeks of use.	Boil and Bite mouthguard after improper fabrication.  Note excessively thin material after forming.

* Photos and information are referenced from SportsDentistry.com
Provided by Dr. Teresa Mercado for educational purpose.  
5866 Mowry School Road , Newark , CA 94560. Phone (510) 656-4400                                                                                                       
October 19, 2007

FACTS ABOUT ORAL/FACIAL INJURIES

The National Youth Sports Foundation for the Prevention of Athletic Injuries reports the following:

1. Dental injuries are the most common type of injuries sustained during participation in sports; the majorities of these dental injuries are preventable.

2. More than 5 million teeth are knocked out each year.

3. The cost to replant a tooth and the follow up dental treatment is about $5000. Victims of knocked out teeth who do not have it property preserved or replanted may face a lifetime dental cost of $15,000 to $20,000/tooth, hours in dental chair, and the possible development of other dental problems.

4. An athlete is 60 times more likely to sustain damage to the teeth when not wearing a protective mouth- guard.

5. The cost of a fractured tooth is many times greater than the cost of a professionally made mouthguard.

6. Every athlete involved in contact sport has about a 10% chance per season of an orofacial injury, or a 33-56% chance during an athletic career.

7. It is estimated that faceguards and mouthguards prevent approximately 200,000 injuries each year in high school and college football.

8. The stock mouthguard which is purchased at the sports stores without any individual fitting, provide only a low level of protection, if any. If the wearer is rendered unconscious, there is a risk the Mouthguard may lodge in the throat potentially causing an airway obstruction. 

The 1990 report of the “Better Health Program” entitled, “Sports Injuries in Australia, Causes, Cost and Prevention” estimated for Australians (population 18 million) to be $1.4 billion per year. Between 30-50% of these injuries were preventable. With a population of 260 million for the United States, multiply the numbers for the Australians.