Boxing mouthpieces protect your teeth during sparring and fighting. But most observers don’t realize that they also offer some protection against knockouts. With the right mouthguard (and an opponent using padded gloves), you should have no trouble with your teeth during sparring or competition.
Don’t make the mistake of thinking that mouthguards protect you from a direct punch in the teeth. Always make sure your opponent is using padded gloves, because your mouthpiece won’t help very much when you get a knuckle sandwich.
Boil and bite mouthguards
Your new mouthguard should be made from a gel-like plastic that becomes soft and pliable when you dip it in boiling water for 10 or 15 seconds. After the hot-water bath, immediately dip it in room-temperature water to get rid of the boiling water, then put it in your mouth and gently bite into it while sucking the air out from around your teeth. This will mold it to your teeth.
If you don’t mold the mouthpiece, it won’t stay in place when you open your jaws and it will be uncomfortable.
After molding, you can use a sharp pair of scissors to trim it to fit.
Differences between mouthguards
There are several types of mouthguards. To choose an appropriate gumshield, figure out what your needs are.
Mouthguards for contact sports
Some mouthguards have a strap on the front. They’re designed to be tied to your helmet for football or hockey. Others have a hard plastic “frame” around the outside, offering extra protection. Both types are unsuitable for boxing or martial arts sparring. Instead, get one that’s as smooth as possible so the inside of your lips doesn’t get cut up.
Padded double mouthguards
The standard boxing mouthguard is molded to both the top and bottom sets of teeth. It is designed to give a bit, cushioning the jaw during impact. This padding reduces the chance of acute or repetitive-stress injury to the mandibular joint, and it lessens shock transfer from a punch to the jaw through the skull, reducing the severity of knockouts.
Double mouthguards are of the boil and bite variety. But it can be difficult to get them molded properly around both sets of teeth. Getting a proper fit can come down to luck and/or experience. If you never “boiled and bit” a mouthguard before, be sure to practice on a cheap single mouthpiece first. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll succeed every time.
Most good boxing mouthguards have a breathing slot. If you get a cheap one without such a slot, you’ll be tempted to fight with your mouth open. This is dangerous and ill-advised.
Single mouth guards
These inexpensive mouthpieces fit around the top teeth. They don’t offer much protection against a punch in the chops. Basically, they stop your teeth from smashing together when you play contact sports.
Although single mouthguards are easier to mold around the teeth using the boil and bite method, they don’t offer enough protection for boxers. Instead of getting one of these, do yourself a favor and buy a boxer’s mouthguard.
Keeping it clean
- Always brush your teeth (and floss) before wearing it.
- Clean it under running water after removing it. Use soap.
- Make sure it dries out as soon as possible after use.
- Sunlight is a good disinfectant, but don’t let it get too hot. A better alternative is a mouthguard case that disinfects with UV. You can get one at amazon.com: UV dental cleaners
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- Soak it in mouthwash.
- Don’t skimp. Get a new one if the old one starts to taste terrible.
- Forget the fancy designs. Get a clear or white gumshield so you can see any dirt or debris that is lodged in the crevices. Pros use the fancy designs because they get a new (free) mouthpiece whenever they want.
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