Martial Arts Mouthguards

Mouthguards help protect that beautiful set of teeth. A mouth guard is required by man professional sports, and martial arts competitions are one of those. Mouthguards are suitable for anyone who risks face injury in any contact sport. This is particularly true of younger athletes.

Children are enrolled in martial arts to teach them discipline, self-control and to keep in shape. Blocking a kick or a punch is with their teeth is almost certain to be costly and possibly miserable. Mouthguards make as much sense in martial arts for children as they do for professional athletes.

Martial arts mouthguards are not made differently than any other mouth guard but they do perform the same function to protect the teeth and jaw from trauma during physical contact sports. Each dentist fitted mouth guard is custom made for the person wearing it. These new high tech mouthguards are rigid, do not interfere with breathing and are so well fitted they hold themselves in place.

Some athletes may think that a mouth guard hides their smile and try to leave it behind when dressing for a competition but the fact is that martial arts mouthguards can protect that smile and prevent the jaw and tooth trauma that is a risk in any contact sport.

Although mouthguards in the past were pretty dull looking today’s custom fitted mouthguards come in a variety of colors with designs to suit almost any athlete’s style. To have a mouth guard fitted is a relatively simple process of going to the dentist and making a tooth impression. The mouth guard is then constructed and another check is made by the dentist to be sure the piece fits right.

There have been many claims made about special martial arts mouthguards that are supposed to give the athlete more energy or make them respond faster. Mouthguards are excellent protection for any person involved in a contact sport but no testing has ever proven that mouthguards improve reaction time or endurance.

Tests have been done to determine just how much of the force the mouthguards absorb from a direct blow to the jaw. Although results were not precise it was estimated the force of impact was reduced at least fifty percent. The amount of force a mouth guard can absorb makes mouthguards almost mandatory for safety reasons. Anything that can improve the safety of young athletes and professional athletes is a boon to the sport.

The cost of dentist fitted martial arts mouthguards is very reasonable. Dentist fitted mouth guards will stay in place better than off the shelf generic mouthguards. Compared to the cost of braces, replacing missing teeth and the potential jaw damage that may occur in sports, the investment in a dentist fitted mouth guard is minimal. The professional athlete may be required to wear martial arts mouthguards during competitions and the young athlete should wear them to protect them and their focus upon the joy of the sport rather than protecting their face from injury.