It’s time to put your money where your mouth is. Literally. Many of you have played or are playing contact sports such as MMA, Muay Thai or football. One of the most important pieces of equipment is what you use to protect your pearly whites. Even though protecting your smile seems to be the most obvious reason you should be using a mouthguard (MG), mouthgaurds can be used for more including decreasing the effects of stress on the body, pain management and even improved performance.
How?
The stress reducing effects of a mouth guard is tied to the simple and natural act of mastication or chewing. Active chewing has been tied to improved performance on memory, learning, long-term recall and mental reaction time. It can make you a Genius! Well, not really but you get the idea.
What does all this have to do with your MG, considering that you don’t actually chew it? Well, some of the effects of biting down, in this case your MG, have been found to suppress a rise in blood pressure, cause a drop in core body temperature, and changes hormonal markers related to stress in the body. So, the next time you get into an argument with your better half, consider having her chew on something before it really gets heated. Research on MGs has been occurring since about the 60’s but it really had not been looked at seriously until the late 80’s. Initially researchers found some positive effects on strength, endurance, and breathing when using custom made MG.
In a recent study, conducted at the University of Connecticut’s Human Performance Lab, testing the effect of an MG on power production, the authors found that subjects wearing the MG during a high speed power and force test involving a bench press, throw and vertical jump were able to sustain power production over the course of the test. That means that they were able to continue to push harder, faster and stronger without an increase in strain. The authors demonstrated that using a custom MG might help with performance in sports that require upper body power in a loaded task such as in football or rugby. The same effects were also seen in sports not typically associated with loading such as basketball, throwing or combative sports.
Where?
As with anything else in the fitness industry, as soon as goods manufacturers get a whiff of something remotely marketable they jump on board. Here are a few of the popular brands that you may want to look at if you are in the market.
Shock Doctor
Shock Doctor makes 15 models of mouth guards. The top end model is their mouth guard weighing in at $149.99, the appliance is custom made in their lab using an impression mold that you create at home, send to the company, and it is shipped back to you with an advertised two week or less turn around. You even get a temporary guard while you wait for yours. Along with the custom fit, it boasts a patent pending 3-D anti-shock jaw pad and impact shield, an extra shock layer, 190+ custom colors/personalization’s, and a $30,000 dental warranty to boot.
Under Armour
The guys at UA have taken a less is more approach by selling only two models of there ArmourBite mouth guards. The AmourBite, engineered BiteTech (bitetech.com), will not only protect you during play, but it supposedly increases strength (up to 20%) and stamina (by dropping lactic acid up to 25%) during non-contact sports. In addition, their design pivots your jaw into optimal position causing an increase in performance by increase airflow and reducing cortisol levels (a stress hormone that is responsible for muscle breakdown among other things). All of that and it would only run $29.99 for the base, or $49.99 for their Performance pack.
MoGo
The MoGo Performance Series Sports MG allows you to actually add a flavor of your choosing to your mouth guard. MoGo gives you five flavors to choose from and they are FDA compliant and made from “all natural” ingredients. It’s embedded into the plastic, removing the need to have to space it on or coat it before use. This MG also comes with a $10,000 dental warranty. At $11.99 the price point ain’t bad either!
Power Balance Mouth Gear
Made by Power Balance is the only mouth guard produced by this company. PB Mouth gear has three main features. First is their Silicon BITE-PAD designed to create spacing for an individual’s bite to float into its most natural and comfortable position. This is supposed to relax the muscles in the face, decreasing forward head posture and allow for proper spinal alignment. The Tritan frame interlocks the BITE-PAD and EVA mold to ensure fit and durability. Lastly, the V-Form molds around each tooth providing comfort, retention and unrestricted air-flow. In order to snag one of these, you would have to go through a certified dental office to buy one. If you know where to go, you can go through their website and use their locator to find an office near you.
Whether you want to prevent a concussion, decrease fatigue or increase power on the field, the mouth guard is resurfacing as a tool to help you achieve all those things and protect your teeth too.
Image credit: istockphoto.com/jachurch