Sports Mouthguards: Which is the Best?

I received a phone call at home one Saturday. The tense but calm voice of a baseball coach on the other end reported that a young outfielder had caught a baseball in his mouth. The coach said that this child had a couple of loose teeth and was bleeding heavily. I sped to the office to see what could be done.

The baseball coach, the child's upset mother, and the teenage outfielder holding a blood-soaked bath towel to his face were waiting at the office door. Upon examination, we found that two teeth were pushed back 45 degrees and one front tooth was missing. The child's lip and gum were torn requiring several stitches. This young man would need an expensive bridge to replace his missing tooth. This situation was very emotional, expensive and painful. Wearing a mouthguard could have prevented all of the damage.

The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) requires the use of mouthguards for all levels of high school play in many sports such as field hockey, soccer, and football. The MIAA recommends mouthguard use in baseball. Interestingly, since mouthguards became required in high school football, basketball has become the sport with the most orofacial injuries. In addition, mouthguard use has been an important factor in reducing concussive head injuries in football. Sherry Bryant, assistant director of the MIAA, pointed out that mouthguards are required for basketball players this year for the first time.

Even our youngest athletes should always wear a mouthguard. They need the protection, and they will be more accustomed to wearing a mouthguard as they grow.

There are three basic types of mouthguards:

· The stock mouthguard is bought in a store and worn unchanged. This type of mouthguard is very inexpensive. Unfortunately, the stock mouthguard does not fit to the teeth and is easily lost during an incident. When athletes opens their mouths to breath or speak, the mouthguard falls out of place.