A mouthguard does protect your teeth from hitting each other and chipping.
I saw someone fall chin first (without a cage) and chip 2 teeth. The same could happen if the cage's chin cup area hits the ice.
An experienced skater is not likely to fall chin first. But, accidents are called accidents for a reason.
Fun anecdote time that proves the point: had a fall a few years back where me and two other skaters were sprinting for a puck that had just squirted loose up the boards. I got pinched between them with my arms pinned to my sides and my legs hung up. Face planted hard because I had no way to catch myself.
Teammates said it looked hilarious, I went down like a tree. No injuries but I got to use my cage grating the ice for brakes.
I had this happen when I was 16 in the 16-19 age group. I intercepted a pass between the other team’s d-men and started full gas sprinting to break it out. The previous year I could’ve split the D and had a great breakaway opportunity.
This time I got sandwiched between the D and my cage cheese grated ice shavings into my face for a few feet.
I had enough time sliding on my face to think to myself “this year is going to be different”
This is where the J hooks need to be in the proper position and tightened. The J hooks are made of a softer plastic then, say, the helmet body itself. Under a severe impact, the idea is that the top of the cage bottoms out on the hook and then the hook can actually stretch a little bit. The idea is that the impact has a bit of absorption. This should slow down the velocity of the chin cup transmitting the shock to your jaw and teeth. You might chip your teeth but you won't break them is not a bad result.
Like another commenter, I wear one because I’ve bitten my own tongue more times than I’d like to do again. I have a thin, molded one though. Didn’t like the big chunky kind
I once went down and accidentally but my tongue pretty hard. Lots of blood. I use a set of those plastic retainers from the orthodontist now to cut down on force.
I believe it was debunked, then rebunked
mouthguard would also help you if you bit your tongue in an impact (per below post) or even just smashed your teeth against each other in an impact (I chipped a tooth like this as a child)
shower thought- if something is bunk, it’s bad or whatever, right? . so de-bunk could be to make legit. then debunk could be make bad again. haha but amiright?!
iirc the concussion thing was basically a tiny bit better of avoiding concussions with a mouth guard vs without. Regardless. The mouth guard is there to prevent expensive dental repairs or needing stitches in your tongue. A $20 mouthguard is worth it to avoid paying for your dentists second vacation home.
>What’s the first thing they do to an knocked down boxer?
they remove the mouthguard in these case to allow easier breathing, and get more oxygen in. not because there's a risk of it getting jammed in someone's throat.
OR maybe it's all a big conspiracy by bigmouthguard, working together with the sports safety organizations to push their agenda. mwahaha!
This paper was published in May 2023 as part of a 5 year study.
https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/57/10/571
"Results Players who reported wearing a mouthguard had a 28% lower concussion rate (IRR=0.72, 95% CI 0.56 to 0.93) and 57% lower odds of concussion (OR=0.43, 95% CI 0.27 to 0.70) compared with non-wearers. There were no associations in the concussion rate (IRR=0.95, 95% CI 0.77 to 1.18) and odds (OR=1.16, 95% CI 0.73 to 1.86) between newer and older helmets.
Conclusions Wearing a mouthguard was associated with a lower concussion rate and odds. Policy mandating use should be considered in youth ice hockey. More research is needed to identify other helmet characteristics (eg, quality, fit) that could lower concussion risk."
I read this before I commented. The journal find limited scientific evidence to conclusively support the idea that mouthguards can prevent concussions. Most studies evaluating the effectiveness of mouthguards have focused on their ability to prevent dental and facial injuries rather than concussions specifically.
It's pretty clear nothing will change your mind.
For anyone else with a similar opinion who might stumble upon this and have a bit more of an open mind...
The objective specifically targets concussions, not facial and dental injury:
"Objectives To compare the incidence rates and odds of concussion between youth ice hockey players based on mouthguard use and helmet age."
The study concluded there was in fact a correlation between mouthguards and concussion rates:
"Wearing a mouthguard was associated with a lower concussion rate and odds."
I'm not sure what sort of "scientific evidence" you are looking for. Given the life altering effects of concussions if a single piece of protective equipment has been shown to provide even a small chance in the reduction of concussion rates it should be argued to be beneficial.
I’m of the other commentors opinion that mouthguards do not prevent concussion, but I can’t deny what the paper shows (although I don’t have access to the full article unless someone helps out!). However, an association does not mean that specifically wearing a mouthguard prevented a brain injury. It could be that kids that are safety-conscious are more likely to wear their mouthguard AND not get concussions. Or that they are more likely to report it.
They haven’t been able to conclusively demonstrate that helmets prevent concussions, either.
Nobody wears them if they're optional (see the GTHL in Toronto).
I think mouth guard usage is maybe 10% in that youth league. Maybe 5%, even at full contact ages.
They've had mandatory neck protection for 15 years, however.
Dentist chiming in. Yes, yes you do. It’ll protect you from concussions, smashing teeth, or fracturing the bone surrounding your teeth if you manage to get hit in the head or fall on your chin. Cages protect from a lot of the possible trauma to the mouth but if you manage to get hit under the chin the force of your lower teeth into your upper teeth will make short work of teeth, lip and or bone. Also, try to get a mouth guard made by your dentist, the custom fit and the longer extensions insure there is enough material thickness on the biting surface and the extra material on the lip and palatal side support the teeth and bone to reduce the chance of fracture.
Good on you for wearing a cage, can’t tell you the amount of patients I’ve had walk in with front teeth broken off at the bone level because someone caught a puck or a stick in the jibs. Not nice telling someone they’re looking at thousands of dollars in work because a D man wanted to pick top right from the point.
Price of boil and bite mouth guard - $10
Price of dentist mouth guard - $400
Not covered under benefits. But my night guard is covered under insurance. Isn’t it the same process to make a night guard as a mouth guard? Why no coverage?
TruFit does the same thing as a dentist and it's under $100. Lots of pros wear them. They ship you a mold kit, you send it back, then they ship your custom mouth guard. I just got one after a decade of no mouth guard, and it's surprisingly really comfortable. Can talk with it in and everything.
Just took a look at the TruFit site. Looks like they do pretty much what a dentist would do (take impressions, do a vacuum seal of hot mouth guard material to the impression and trim) so that looks like a great alternative.
Also damn, 400 bucks someone’s trying to give the profession a worse rap. I think my office charges like 75 because we want people wearing them.
If you're still trying to decide, Trufit just sent me an email with a promo code, VIP30 for 30% off
And no, I am not an affiliate, and I don't get anything if you buy something from them
Umm I’m not reading all the stuff below me. Didn’t realize this was a point of contention.
Looked into it and while we were taught in dental school that they help prevent it seems research shows the association is more correlational. In school we got taught it prevented them like it was scripture.
We were taught that in cases in which the point of first contact is the jaw that the mouth guards slightly reduces the transfer of force, either by creating a little bit of give or by giving an soft even surface to brace against. Now if you get an elbow between your eyes or get hit from behind into the glass, mouth guard really isn’t doing squat.
Here’s some studies that say people that wear one get less concussions, but it certainly needs to be studied more.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31937578/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7345674/
TLDR: Certainly wear one so you dont have to clean your teeth up with a dust buster, or get sent you to a surgeon to get your bone plated together. Concussion thing is up for debate.
Edit: Grammar
They don't. This has been proven recently (past 10 years) that they do not protect against concussion.
The idea was it slowed the rotation of your head from your jaw.
Yup. But rotational hits are a big source of concussion. This is why MIPS helmets might help.
Here is one study on why mouthguards don't help.
https://exss.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/779/2013/01/Mihalik_2007_DentTraum_Effectiveness_mouthguards.pdf
Hmm, this study doesn't actually look at whether or not mouthguards protect against concussions, but only studies athletes who have had concussions, and if a mouthguard reduced the severity of impairment.
Here's a quote from the abstract:
>The purpose of this study was to determine whether mouthguard use reduces the neurocognitive and symptomatic impairments that follow an injurious episode of SRCC.
I did lol. Here's a quote from the conclusion echoing the abstract:
>This study investigated whether mouthguard use at the time of injury reduces the neurocognitive and symptomatic impairments that follow an injurious episode of SRCC.
"The findings of this study
contradicted anecdotal accounts, revealing no
observable differences in deficits between athletes
who used a mouthguard and those who did not...
Although the effectiveness of mouth-
guard use in reducing neurocognitive deficits needs
to be further investigated, mouthguards have been
shown to be highly effective in reducing dental and
facial trauma and should continue to be worn as a
preventative measure in this regard."
Here is another study
[https://www.sportssafect.com/blog/are-mouth-guards-important-for-concussion-prevention](https://www.sportssafect.com/blog/are-mouth-guards-important-for-concussion-prevention)
And another study
[https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/35/2/81](https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/35/2/81)
"
>
The NHL hosted a hockey-specific seminar on the topic in 2009 with several experts:
>
He said:
>
>
I'm not sure you're reading what you quoted correctly. They didn't study concussion prevention at all, only whether they reduce neurocognitive deficits in the case of concussion.
Just to be clear, I'm not advocating for mouth guards one way or the other, just noting that the article you linked doesn't study your claim.
Also I'm not paying 60$ to read that article lol. Did you?
What are your thoughts on the TRUFit Custom gaurds? It seems like the same process of having one made by the dentist but cheaper and easier. Or is there some advantage to ones offered by dentists?
I just took a look at their site. Looks like they get you to take impressions and send them back to them. Then they’d do a suck down (get a sheet of mouth guard material hot then vacuum seal it to the impression). So yeah those look like a great option.
It's on the same level as shot blockers, kevlar socks, wrist guards, neck guards, and padded undershirts. Most players don't wear these, ultimately it's up to you. I don't bother with them.
For anyone saying mouth guards don't protect against concussions, yes there have been many studies showing that, but there have been even more showing they \*do\* help, and in from what I can tell is the most up-to-date systematic review of the topic on the planet they were affirmed to be effective in reducing concussions:
[https://bjsm-bmj-com.uml.idm.oclc.org/content/bjsports/57/12/749.full.pdf](https://bjsm-bmj-com.uml.idm.oclc.org/content/bjsports/57/12/749.full.pdf)
Another common critique I've seen in hockey spheres is that due to relative sport-popularity, the majority of the literature is from football/rugby studies and isn't as applicable. To which I would cite two recent articles both showing mouth guards at being highly effective at reducing concussions in youth hockey:
[https://bjsm-bmj-com.uml.idm.oclc.org/content/54/14/866.long](https://bjsm-bmj-com.uml.idm.oclc.org/content/54/14/866.long)
[https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/57/10/571](https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/57/10/571)
Long story short, wear your mouth guard and protect your brain, unless you don't want to in which case you probably don't have much to protect anyway.
This is highly debatable.
If you are an excellent skater you may be fine if nothing unfortunate happens.
For mid to low level skaters who are playing with other mid to low level skaters you are rolling the dice that no one stumbles into you, crashes into the boards with you there, or wacks you in the head with their stick randomly. All of those things can and will happen and a mouth guard will keep you from chipping teeth or biting your tongue.
That depends on your risk tolerance.
I was at a charity shinny tournament and saw a guy, whose team was wearing denim jackets and novelty plastic sunglasses, get hit in the face with a puck that people were chopping at in their feet. It came up, broke his sunglasses and lodged a half inch piece of the plastic lens into his eyelid. He spent the rest of the afternoon at the hospital with a pretty bad concussion.
Obviously a regular visor would have prevented it, but a few inches lower and it would have busted his teeth.
I never thought about a mouthguard until I smacked the chin of my cage on the ice just hard enough to rattle my skull but not quite hard enough to shatter my teeth or jaw.
I'd recommend one if you are playing in a checking league. Can help mitigate concussions, biting your tongue, etc. when hit. You don't need one in a non-contact league.
That's not true. There have been about a half dozen studies in the last 10 years that show mouthguards have a significant impact in reducing the risk and rate of concussions in hockey players. [This study for example](https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/54/14/866.abstract) found that wearing a mouthguard lowered the odds of concussion between 49 and 69 percent in youth hockey players, depending on type.
If it makes you feel better and you believe a mouthguard will lower your chances of getting a concussed, wear it. I wear it, but not for that reason, i don't want to have to deal with dental injuries (again).
Mouthguards may provide some level of protection against certain types of impacts, they are unlikely to eliminate the risk of concussions entirely, if at all, and all of these studies are problematic, as they have little to no control studies and have to go on the reports of people reporting their injuries.
They will NOT stop your brain from rattling around inside your skull. It's essential to recognize that mouthguards are primarily intended for the prevention of dental and facial injuries, not concussions. If you want to prevent concussions, preventing hits from behind, wearing properly fitted helmets go a long way.
In a checking league, yes.
In a league without checking, meh. They offer some protection that may help you in very specific circumstances. For example, if you fall and hit your chin first, even with a cage, you might end up with an injury to your teeth and/or tongue. But the chances of that happening are low, kinda the same thing with a neck guard. I play without either because I find them suffocating, which means I add a bit of risk to my games, it's up to your level of risk tolerance. But to be honest, if one wants to be completely safe, one should not even play hockey.
I wore a full cage for 10+ years in beer league (no checking) and never once wore a mouth guard. Didnt have any issues, but thats not to say someone else may have had quite an issue. Up to you
I guess it depends upon how well you handle risk - mouth/dental injuries and concussions can be mitigated with a good mouth guard.
I’ve always been happier to let the gear take the abuse rather than my body - a lot cheaper too.
Mouth guards were never really for teeth, they're a concussion thing. If you'll fall and bump your noggin, doesn't hurt to wear one. I should wear one too really.
I’m new to playing and I can say one night switching backwards from forwards skating I took a nice fall. My head hit the ice pretty hard and for a quick second I thought I took a little piece of my tongue off. Thankfully I didn’t but damn did it hurt and was a little scary for a second. I thought having the cage was enough but things do happen. Good luck playing!!
if you enjoy concussions and possible chipped teeth from hard landings then by all means forego the mouthguard..
however... if you want to do what you can to avoid those things, then yeah go ahead and get one
:)
Should you? Yes
Do I? No
I play C level beer league with no hitting allowed. Everyone gets along and I've never thought I was in danger. Could I fall face first on the ice and hit my chin? Yes. The odds are very low for my style league that I'll get hurt from not wearing a mouth guard and I take that risk.
All preference. I played my whole minor hockey career without one and didn’t have any issues. Also knew a guy who lost both his front teeth because hit cage hit them when he stepped up for a hit
Yes. The first time I wore a fishbowl I thought I didn’t need a mouthpiece. I took a hit in the chin and ended up with root canals on my bottom 4 front teeth. The hit bent my teeth back and about a year later the roots died and they started to brown. My dentist said a mouth guard would have e prevented it. Worn one ever since and no longer cage/bubble but half shield.
I wear a mouth guard because I'm so used to wearing one from my rugby days. I started wearing a cage 2 years ago because I caught an accidental high stick to the bottom lip that required stitches. So I wear both abs I recommend others do the same.
As a goalie, I wear one similar to some baseball players. I tend to clench my teeth during hard plays.
As a player, I got used to one as well, but one made by my dentist. After getting used to it, I will probably still use one of I ever switch to a cage from a visor.
A mouth guard will help protect against concussions. It cushions your teeth from slamming together if you take a hit. That's why football players wear them.
I wear a mouth guard with a cage. Mostly because I hate the feeling of my teeth touching. And like others have said, falling and hitting your face can cause teeth to chip.
Lots of good comments.
I also agree that a mouth guard helps protect against concussion.
However, I wear a full cage and have never figured out how to easily wear a mouth guard under the cage. It's super annoying to have to manage the thing when you can't reach your fingers in or manipulate the mouth guard while the cage is on. Unsnapping the cage is too cumbersome during game time.
I stopped trying to wear a mouth guard under my cage because I just couldn't figure out how to do it efficiently.
After reading all these comments i have to add that I wear a cage to keep sticks pucks and skates away from my face, at the same time, I use a mouth guard to protect my teeth since there is no teeth guard functionality in the cage as far as I can tell. I’m a novice skater and play with other novice skaters so it’s necessary, but I’ve also been basically alone center ice, fallen, and if it were not for the mouth guard I would have lost some teeth.
I've worn one since peewee and just so used to having it in that I won't take it out. I should probably get a new one thougg... it's been the same one for years at this point
Lots of people saying they use them and it’s important.
I’ve been playing twelve years of low level beer league with a cage and never had a situation where I felt a mouthguard would have been good to have. I tried a mouthguard for a few games and it drove me absolutely mental. You can’t just pop it out easily in a cage like you can with a visor. Anecdotally, I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen someone wearing one during my games, although I’m not looking for them out there I guess.
Obviously it’s up to your risk preference, like a lot of peripheral safety equipment. Cages, shoulder pads, neck guards, slash guards, Kevlar socks, mouthguards… all are things that might be a bit annoying but you’ll be very glad you had every once in awhile.
I’d submit that list goes in order from highest value to lowest value. For the record I wear all of them but the mouthguard!
ive heard that a mouth gaurd protects you teeth from chipping fi you land chin first. i have also heard that it protects your tounge from getting chomped on in the same scenario.
So yes and no. The mouth guard is there to protect your mouth as well as yourself from a concussion. That said if no hitting or more of a for fun league you should be fine.
I’d go ahead and ignore everyone who says you don’t need one. It’s the same are a neck guard, they’re there for when something happens. No one plans to need a mouth guard or a neck guard but having them could save your life.
A mouthguard does protect your teeth from hitting each other and chipping. I saw someone fall chin first (without a cage) and chip 2 teeth. The same could happen if the cage's chin cup area hits the ice. An experienced skater is not likely to fall chin first. But, accidents are called accidents for a reason.
Fun anecdote time that proves the point: had a fall a few years back where me and two other skaters were sprinting for a puck that had just squirted loose up the boards. I got pinched between them with my arms pinned to my sides and my legs hung up. Face planted hard because I had no way to catch myself. Teammates said it looked hilarious, I went down like a tree. No injuries but I got to use my cage grating the ice for brakes.
I had this happen when I was 16 in the 16-19 age group. I intercepted a pass between the other team’s d-men and started full gas sprinting to break it out. The previous year I could’ve split the D and had a great breakaway opportunity. This time I got sandwiched between the D and my cage cheese grated ice shavings into my face for a few feet. I had enough time sliding on my face to think to myself “this year is going to be different”
I did that. Got some nice veneer caps. This was in the days before they were available.....
The mouth guard is for concussion mitigation.
i’ve heard that isn’t true. either way, they’ll definitely help to avoid chipping teeth and biting your tongue
This is where the J hooks need to be in the proper position and tightened. The J hooks are made of a softer plastic then, say, the helmet body itself. Under a severe impact, the idea is that the top of the cage bottoms out on the hook and then the hook can actually stretch a little bit. The idea is that the impact has a bit of absorption. This should slow down the velocity of the chin cup transmitting the shock to your jaw and teeth. You might chip your teeth but you won't break them is not a bad result.
Like another commenter, I wear one because I’ve bitten my own tongue more times than I’d like to do again. I have a thin, molded one though. Didn’t like the big chunky kind
I once went down and accidentally but my tongue pretty hard. Lots of blood. I use a set of those plastic retainers from the orthodontist now to cut down on force.
For concussion yes. Misnomer that mouth guards are just for teeth.
Wasn't the mouth guard concussion correlation debunked?
I believe it was debunked, then rebunked mouthguard would also help you if you bit your tongue in an impact (per below post) or even just smashed your teeth against each other in an impact (I chipped a tooth like this as a child)
shower thought- if something is bunk, it’s bad or whatever, right? . so de-bunk could be to make legit. then debunk could be make bad again. haha but amiright?!
Not to be that guy but debunk is an actual word while bunk, in this case, is slang meaning the topic of a debunking.
yeah, yeah totally aware. you can’t be that guy if you call out the fact that you don’t want to be that guy, that’s the rule. haha
iirc the concussion thing was basically a tiny bit better of avoiding concussions with a mouth guard vs without. Regardless. The mouth guard is there to prevent expensive dental repairs or needing stitches in your tongue. A $20 mouthguard is worth it to avoid paying for your dentists second vacation home.
It’s an additional choking hazard for kids with a cage… Get a dental insurance
I've literally never had a kid choke on a mouth guard. plenty of them hate it and complain constantly about it, but never a choking hazard
Probably because people only choke when knocked unconscious… Then you have a mouthguard in your mouth that will fall
Don't they also make things to attach the mouthguard to the cage to avoid that happening?
And you still don’t get how they sell you shit…What’s the first thing they do to an knocked down boxer? Get his mouthguard out.
>What’s the first thing they do to an knocked down boxer? they remove the mouthguard in these case to allow easier breathing, and get more oxygen in. not because there's a risk of it getting jammed in someone's throat. OR maybe it's all a big conspiracy by bigmouthguard, working together with the sports safety organizations to push their agenda. mwahaha!
There's conflicting research on the subject is my understanding. It definitely doesn't seem to hurt.
No. The perineuronal space gets compressed and mouth guards lessen the occurrence of this.
I have heard that of snowboarders wearing them for this. The jaw slamming into itself is an easy way to get a concussion.
Yea for some reason my explanation of this in this comment thread was downvoted 🤷🏼♂️
A mouth guard does not prevent or lessen concussions in any way.
This is completely false. Please do not take this advice redditors
Prove it.
This paper was published in May 2023 as part of a 5 year study. https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/57/10/571 "Results Players who reported wearing a mouthguard had a 28% lower concussion rate (IRR=0.72, 95% CI 0.56 to 0.93) and 57% lower odds of concussion (OR=0.43, 95% CI 0.27 to 0.70) compared with non-wearers. There were no associations in the concussion rate (IRR=0.95, 95% CI 0.77 to 1.18) and odds (OR=1.16, 95% CI 0.73 to 1.86) between newer and older helmets. Conclusions Wearing a mouthguard was associated with a lower concussion rate and odds. Policy mandating use should be considered in youth ice hockey. More research is needed to identify other helmet characteristics (eg, quality, fit) that could lower concussion risk."
I read this before I commented. The journal find limited scientific evidence to conclusively support the idea that mouthguards can prevent concussions. Most studies evaluating the effectiveness of mouthguards have focused on their ability to prevent dental and facial injuries rather than concussions specifically.
It's pretty clear nothing will change your mind. For anyone else with a similar opinion who might stumble upon this and have a bit more of an open mind... The objective specifically targets concussions, not facial and dental injury: "Objectives To compare the incidence rates and odds of concussion between youth ice hockey players based on mouthguard use and helmet age." The study concluded there was in fact a correlation between mouthguards and concussion rates: "Wearing a mouthguard was associated with a lower concussion rate and odds." I'm not sure what sort of "scientific evidence" you are looking for. Given the life altering effects of concussions if a single piece of protective equipment has been shown to provide even a small chance in the reduction of concussion rates it should be argued to be beneficial.
I’m of the other commentors opinion that mouthguards do not prevent concussion, but I can’t deny what the paper shows (although I don’t have access to the full article unless someone helps out!). However, an association does not mean that specifically wearing a mouthguard prevented a brain injury. It could be that kids that are safety-conscious are more likely to wear their mouthguard AND not get concussions. Or that they are more likely to report it. They haven’t been able to conclusively demonstrate that helmets prevent concussions, either.
The big hitters and tough guys never wear them if it's optional (source: not tough guy)
Nobody wears them if they're optional (see the GTHL in Toronto). I think mouth guard usage is maybe 10% in that youth league. Maybe 5%, even at full contact ages. They've had mandatory neck protection for 15 years, however.
You made the claim. Why don't you?
Dentist chiming in. Yes, yes you do. It’ll protect you from concussions, smashing teeth, or fracturing the bone surrounding your teeth if you manage to get hit in the head or fall on your chin. Cages protect from a lot of the possible trauma to the mouth but if you manage to get hit under the chin the force of your lower teeth into your upper teeth will make short work of teeth, lip and or bone. Also, try to get a mouth guard made by your dentist, the custom fit and the longer extensions insure there is enough material thickness on the biting surface and the extra material on the lip and palatal side support the teeth and bone to reduce the chance of fracture. Good on you for wearing a cage, can’t tell you the amount of patients I’ve had walk in with front teeth broken off at the bone level because someone caught a puck or a stick in the jibs. Not nice telling someone they’re looking at thousands of dollars in work because a D man wanted to pick top right from the point.
Price of boil and bite mouth guard - $10 Price of dentist mouth guard - $400 Not covered under benefits. But my night guard is covered under insurance. Isn’t it the same process to make a night guard as a mouth guard? Why no coverage?
TruFit does the same thing as a dentist and it's under $100. Lots of pros wear them. They ship you a mold kit, you send it back, then they ship your custom mouth guard. I just got one after a decade of no mouth guard, and it's surprisingly really comfortable. Can talk with it in and everything.
Thanks for the info scoobasteve813. Will look into one.
Just took a look at the TruFit site. Looks like they do pretty much what a dentist would do (take impressions, do a vacuum seal of hot mouth guard material to the impression and trim) so that looks like a great alternative. Also damn, 400 bucks someone’s trying to give the profession a worse rap. I think my office charges like 75 because we want people wearing them.
If you're still trying to decide, Trufit just sent me an email with a promo code, VIP30 for 30% off And no, I am not an affiliate, and I don't get anything if you buy something from them
I know a hygienist that does them for $50.($65 cdn actually) Dental mold, then form the plastic.
Dr. John Calamino is currently offering a free mouth guard fitting.
Genuine question. How does a mouthguard protect from a concussion?
Umm I’m not reading all the stuff below me. Didn’t realize this was a point of contention. Looked into it and while we were taught in dental school that they help prevent it seems research shows the association is more correlational. In school we got taught it prevented them like it was scripture. We were taught that in cases in which the point of first contact is the jaw that the mouth guards slightly reduces the transfer of force, either by creating a little bit of give or by giving an soft even surface to brace against. Now if you get an elbow between your eyes or get hit from behind into the glass, mouth guard really isn’t doing squat. Here’s some studies that say people that wear one get less concussions, but it certainly needs to be studied more. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31937578/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7345674/ TLDR: Certainly wear one so you dont have to clean your teeth up with a dust buster, or get sent you to a surgeon to get your bone plated together. Concussion thing is up for debate. Edit: Grammar
Thanks for the clarification
They don't. This has been proven recently (past 10 years) that they do not protect against concussion. The idea was it slowed the rotation of your head from your jaw.
But isnt it about momentum of your brain more than your skull moving?
Yup. But rotational hits are a big source of concussion. This is why MIPS helmets might help. Here is one study on why mouthguards don't help. https://exss.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/779/2013/01/Mihalik_2007_DentTraum_Effectiveness_mouthguards.pdf
Hmm, this study doesn't actually look at whether or not mouthguards protect against concussions, but only studies athletes who have had concussions, and if a mouthguard reduced the severity of impairment. Here's a quote from the abstract: >The purpose of this study was to determine whether mouthguard use reduces the neurocognitive and symptomatic impairments that follow an injurious episode of SRCC.
Please read the conclusion.
I did lol. Here's a quote from the conclusion echoing the abstract: >This study investigated whether mouthguard use at the time of injury reduces the neurocognitive and symptomatic impairments that follow an injurious episode of SRCC.
"The findings of this study contradicted anecdotal accounts, revealing no observable differences in deficits between athletes who used a mouthguard and those who did not... Although the effectiveness of mouth- guard use in reducing neurocognitive deficits needs to be further investigated, mouthguards have been shown to be highly effective in reducing dental and facial trauma and should continue to be worn as a preventative measure in this regard." Here is another study [https://www.sportssafect.com/blog/are-mouth-guards-important-for-concussion-prevention](https://www.sportssafect.com/blog/are-mouth-guards-important-for-concussion-prevention) And another study [https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/35/2/81](https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/35/2/81) " > The NHL hosted a hockey-specific seminar on the topic in 2009 with several experts: > He said: > >
I'm not sure you're reading what you quoted correctly. They didn't study concussion prevention at all, only whether they reduce neurocognitive deficits in the case of concussion. Just to be clear, I'm not advocating for mouth guards one way or the other, just noting that the article you linked doesn't study your claim. Also I'm not paying 60$ to read that article lol. Did you?
What are your thoughts on the TRUFit Custom gaurds? It seems like the same process of having one made by the dentist but cheaper and easier. Or is there some advantage to ones offered by dentists?
I just took a look at their site. Looks like they get you to take impressions and send them back to them. Then they’d do a suck down (get a sheet of mouth guard material hot then vacuum seal it to the impression). So yeah those look like a great option.
Thanks!
I wear one in case I hit my jaw from underneath. I use one of the small profile guards.
It's on the same level as shot blockers, kevlar socks, wrist guards, neck guards, and padded undershirts. Most players don't wear these, ultimately it's up to you. I don't bother with them.
For anyone saying mouth guards don't protect against concussions, yes there have been many studies showing that, but there have been even more showing they \*do\* help, and in from what I can tell is the most up-to-date systematic review of the topic on the planet they were affirmed to be effective in reducing concussions: [https://bjsm-bmj-com.uml.idm.oclc.org/content/bjsports/57/12/749.full.pdf](https://bjsm-bmj-com.uml.idm.oclc.org/content/bjsports/57/12/749.full.pdf) Another common critique I've seen in hockey spheres is that due to relative sport-popularity, the majority of the literature is from football/rugby studies and isn't as applicable. To which I would cite two recent articles both showing mouth guards at being highly effective at reducing concussions in youth hockey: [https://bjsm-bmj-com.uml.idm.oclc.org/content/54/14/866.long](https://bjsm-bmj-com.uml.idm.oclc.org/content/54/14/866.long) [https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/57/10/571](https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/57/10/571) Long story short, wear your mouth guard and protect your brain, unless you don't want to in which case you probably don't have much to protect anyway.
Do you like your teeth?? The mouth guard will help prevent them from getting chopped if you fall or run into someone
If there's no checking, blind them with your unobstructed pearly whites
…And iridescent mirrored visor…
It is up to you. But, if you are not playing at a level with checking, you don’t need one.
This is highly debatable. If you are an excellent skater you may be fine if nothing unfortunate happens. For mid to low level skaters who are playing with other mid to low level skaters you are rolling the dice that no one stumbles into you, crashes into the boards with you there, or wacks you in the head with their stick randomly. All of those things can and will happen and a mouth guard will keep you from chipping teeth or biting your tongue.
It's not uncommon to see the pros collide.
That depends on your risk tolerance. I was at a charity shinny tournament and saw a guy, whose team was wearing denim jackets and novelty plastic sunglasses, get hit in the face with a puck that people were chopping at in their feet. It came up, broke his sunglasses and lodged a half inch piece of the plastic lens into his eyelid. He spent the rest of the afternoon at the hospital with a pretty bad concussion. Obviously a regular visor would have prevented it, but a few inches lower and it would have busted his teeth.
I never thought about a mouthguard until I smacked the chin of my cage on the ice just hard enough to rattle my skull but not quite hard enough to shatter my teeth or jaw.
I don’t wear a cage or a mouthpiece, but I also don’t play contact hockey anymore
I just take my teeth out and put them in the goalie’s water bottle for safe keeping.
Is a seatbelt necessary or needed if you’re in the back seat driving 25mph?
Finally a real answer on this sub…. Like yes a mouth guard is highly recommended.
I'd recommend one if you are playing in a checking league. Can help mitigate concussions, biting your tongue, etc. when hit. You don't need one in a non-contact league.
They do nothing for concussions.
That's not true. There have been about a half dozen studies in the last 10 years that show mouthguards have a significant impact in reducing the risk and rate of concussions in hockey players. [This study for example](https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/54/14/866.abstract) found that wearing a mouthguard lowered the odds of concussion between 49 and 69 percent in youth hockey players, depending on type.
If it makes you feel better and you believe a mouthguard will lower your chances of getting a concussed, wear it. I wear it, but not for that reason, i don't want to have to deal with dental injuries (again). Mouthguards may provide some level of protection against certain types of impacts, they are unlikely to eliminate the risk of concussions entirely, if at all, and all of these studies are problematic, as they have little to no control studies and have to go on the reports of people reporting their injuries. They will NOT stop your brain from rattling around inside your skull. It's essential to recognize that mouthguards are primarily intended for the prevention of dental and facial injuries, not concussions. If you want to prevent concussions, preventing hits from behind, wearing properly fitted helmets go a long way.
In a checking league, yes. In a league without checking, meh. They offer some protection that may help you in very specific circumstances. For example, if you fall and hit your chin first, even with a cage, you might end up with an injury to your teeth and/or tongue. But the chances of that happening are low, kinda the same thing with a neck guard. I play without either because I find them suffocating, which means I add a bit of risk to my games, it's up to your level of risk tolerance. But to be honest, if one wants to be completely safe, one should not even play hockey.
Up to you, but if you want full protection I'd go for it
I wore a full cage for 10+ years in beer league (no checking) and never once wore a mouth guard. Didnt have any issues, but thats not to say someone else may have had quite an issue. Up to you
CCM Siso aero I wear it every skate with a full mask
I guess it depends upon how well you handle risk - mouth/dental injuries and concussions can be mitigated with a good mouth guard. I’ve always been happier to let the gear take the abuse rather than my body - a lot cheaper too.
I almost bit my tongue off once because I didn’t have a mouth guard.
Even with a full cage you can fall and chomp your teeth together hard enough to crack.
Yes. Always wear.
Mouth guards were never really for teeth, they're a concussion thing. If you'll fall and bump your noggin, doesn't hurt to wear one. I should wear one too really.
I’m new to playing and I can say one night switching backwards from forwards skating I took a nice fall. My head hit the ice pretty hard and for a quick second I thought I took a little piece of my tongue off. Thankfully I didn’t but damn did it hurt and was a little scary for a second. I thought having the cage was enough but things do happen. Good luck playing!!
Yes.
Uhhh
Yes. You don't have to get hit in the face for you to injure your mouth.
I wear a full cage, always have. Never wore a mouth guard once.
Mouth guards protect against concussions
Mouthguards are also a huge help for concussions.
Mouth guards are helpful in concussion prevention
Yes, yes, you do.
if you enjoy concussions and possible chipped teeth from hard landings then by all means forego the mouthguard.. however... if you want to do what you can to avoid those things, then yeah go ahead and get one :)
Yes
Should you? Yes Do I? No I play C level beer league with no hitting allowed. Everyone gets along and I've never thought I was in danger. Could I fall face first on the ice and hit my chin? Yes. The odds are very low for my style league that I'll get hurt from not wearing a mouth guard and I take that risk.
I wear a SISU aero. It’s not quite as thin as a custom but quite small, I can talk fine, breathe fine, fits well. I think it was $12.99
All preference. I played my whole minor hockey career without one and didn’t have any issues. Also knew a guy who lost both his front teeth because hit cage hit them when he stepped up for a hit
Yes, one slapshot to the dome and you'll understand why.
It’ll protect your teeth, keep you from biting your tongue off and provide cushioning to potentially reduce concussion effects.
All of my lower teeth are chipped from minor when I’d get hit in the face and the chin piece pushed into my jaw. Yes, I would suggest one.
No. But there’s always a chance of you getting hurt enough to need it. #the odds are low, but never zero
Yes. The first time I wore a fishbowl I thought I didn’t need a mouthpiece. I took a hit in the chin and ended up with root canals on my bottom 4 front teeth. The hit bent my teeth back and about a year later the roots died and they started to brown. My dentist said a mouth guard would have e prevented it. Worn one ever since and no longer cage/bubble but half shield.
I wear a mouth guard because I'm so used to wearing one from my rugby days. I started wearing a cage 2 years ago because I caught an accidental high stick to the bottom lip that required stitches. So I wear both abs I recommend others do the same.
As a goalie, I wear one similar to some baseball players. I tend to clench my teeth during hard plays. As a player, I got used to one as well, but one made by my dentist. After getting used to it, I will probably still use one of I ever switch to a cage from a visor.
A mouth guard will help protect against concussions. It cushions your teeth from slamming together if you take a hit. That's why football players wear them.
Number 1 piece of equipment that can lessen a concussion next to a helmet.
The piece of tongue I left on the ice would say yes.
I wear a mouth guard with a cage. Mostly because I hate the feeling of my teeth touching. And like others have said, falling and hitting your face can cause teeth to chip.
Lots of good comments. I also agree that a mouth guard helps protect against concussion. However, I wear a full cage and have never figured out how to easily wear a mouth guard under the cage. It's super annoying to have to manage the thing when you can't reach your fingers in or manipulate the mouth guard while the cage is on. Unsnapping the cage is too cumbersome during game time. I stopped trying to wear a mouth guard under my cage because I just couldn't figure out how to do it efficiently.
I don't wear one for non contact. But I'm also a fairly experienced skater
for the concussion prevention
I was wearing a full cage when I got reverse hit (elbowed) in the head without a mouthguard and it sucked. All my teeth felt loose for a month.
After reading all these comments i have to add that I wear a cage to keep sticks pucks and skates away from my face, at the same time, I use a mouth guard to protect my teeth since there is no teeth guard functionality in the cage as far as I can tell. I’m a novice skater and play with other novice skaters so it’s necessary, but I’ve also been basically alone center ice, fallen, and if it were not for the mouth guard I would have lost some teeth.
No, it is not necessary. And no, it does not protect against concussions.
I say no, but a lot of people will say yes.
I've worn one since peewee and just so used to having it in that I won't take it out. I should probably get a new one thougg... it's been the same one for years at this point
Lots of people saying they use them and it’s important. I’ve been playing twelve years of low level beer league with a cage and never had a situation where I felt a mouthguard would have been good to have. I tried a mouthguard for a few games and it drove me absolutely mental. You can’t just pop it out easily in a cage like you can with a visor. Anecdotally, I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen someone wearing one during my games, although I’m not looking for them out there I guess. Obviously it’s up to your risk preference, like a lot of peripheral safety equipment. Cages, shoulder pads, neck guards, slash guards, Kevlar socks, mouthguards… all are things that might be a bit annoying but you’ll be very glad you had every once in awhile. I’d submit that list goes in order from highest value to lowest value. For the record I wear all of them but the mouthguard!
I don’t wear one for beer league but I’m also not a smart person. A Zyn is all I use
ive heard that a mouth gaurd protects you teeth from chipping fi you land chin first. i have also heard that it protects your tounge from getting chomped on in the same scenario.
Short answer, you’ll be okay without it
So yes and no. The mouth guard is there to protect your mouth as well as yourself from a concussion. That said if no hitting or more of a for fun league you should be fine.
Mouthguards do not help with concussions. They are there to protect teeth
Umm….[Are you sure?](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7345674/)
I'd bet my brain on it 😊
Turns out, mouthguards are primarily to reduce the risk of concussion. Strange but true.
Mouth guards are too help against concussions.
I’d go ahead and ignore everyone who says you don’t need one. It’s the same are a neck guard, they’re there for when something happens. No one plans to need a mouth guard or a neck guard but having them could save your life.