06/11/2026
🦷🥊 Mouthguards: The Most Underrated Piece of Sports Equipment!
A helmet protects the head. Knee pads protect the knees.
But what protects the teeth, lips, cheeks, and jaws?
👉 The Mouthguard.
Every year, thousands of athletes suffer preventable dental injuries during sports. A properly fitted mouthguard can dramatically reduce the risk of:
✅ Tooth fractures
✅ Tooth avulsion (knocked-out teeth)
✅ Luxation injuries
✅ Lip and cheek lacerations
✅ Alveolar bone trauma
Which mouthguard is best?
🔹 Stock Mouthguard
- Ready-made
- Least retention
- Bulky and uncomfortable
🔹 Boil-and-Bite Mouthguard
- Softened in hot water
- Molded by the athlete
- Better than stock
🔹 Custom-Fabricated Mouthguard
- Made by a dentist
- Best fit and comfort
- Best retention
- Best protection
⭐ INBDE Favorite: Custom-fabricated mouthguards are considered the gold standard.
Important Clinical Pearl
Many athletes believe mouthguards prevent concussions.
While mouthguards clearly protect teeth and soft tissues, current evidence does not conclusively prove that they independently prevent concussion.
What about braces?
Patients undergoing orthodontic treatment should use specially designed orthodontic mouthguards to protect both the teeth and soft tissues from brackets and wires.
Quick INBDE Memory Trick
🧠 "Custom = Comfortable = Complete Protection"
If a board question asks for the BEST mouthguard, the answer is almost always:
✅ Custom-fabricated mouthguard
📚 MCQ #1
A 15-year-old basketball player wants the mouthguard that provides the greatest retention, comfort, and protection against dental trauma. Which type is recommended?
A. Stock mouthguard
B. Boil-and-bite mouthguard
C. Custom-fabricated mouthguard
D. Soft acrylic splint
📚 MCQ #2
The primary mechanism by which a sports mouthguard reduces dental injury is:
A. Prevention of bacterial colonization
B. Increasing enamel hardness
C. Absorbing and distributing impact forces
D. Stimulating dentin formation
Post your answers in comment 👇
