Who would have thought one little piece of equipment could be so important?   These little gadgets that go into the mouth and protect your teeth during sports such as baseball, basketball, football, and boxing protect you from dental injuries are called sports strapless mouth guards, strapless lip guards or strapless mouthpieces. 

You can buy a strapless mouthguard for relatively cheap at a store.  Some people feel however that you need to get one fitted by a dentist in order to fit properly. 

No matter which type of strapless mouthguard you choose to buy or use, it is important that your mouthguard has the following qualities:

• Not interfering with breathing:  Many guards are solid, and often obstruct your air flow.   In sports that require extensive exertion, interrupting your air flow can leave you winded, and leave you not performing at your best.
• Durability:  Selecting a mouth guard that will last you from game to game is the best idea.   While you can cheap strapless mouthguard and replace them after every couple of games, it can quickly become expensive.   It’s best to choose one, a custom fit, for example, that can last most of your season.
• Easy to clean:  Stock and custom fit strapless mouth guards are usually easy to clean.  The boil-and-bite options tend to be less so, and are usually discarded after each game.  If your mouthguard isn’t a disposable one, make sure you clean it thoroughly after each game to prevent bacteria from building up. You can place your mouthguard in the dish washer or clean it with hot soapy water in the sink.
• Stability:  When your mouthguard is in your mouth, it should stay in place.   Activates, such as talking, walking, and moving shouldn’t affect the position of the strapless mouth guard while it is in the mouth.  Keep in mind that if your guard is too loose, the risk of injury is increased.  Remember, custom fit and bite-and-boil offer the best stability over stock options.  We recommend custom fit guards, which offer the best fit, stability and durability on the market.

The American Dental Association has a list of over 29 sports that individuals should be wearing a mouthguard for while playing. That list covers a lot of sports!  If you play sports and are unsure if you should wear a mouthguard, wear one.  It’s better to err on the safe side then have to deal with a costly dental bill afterwards.

It’s amazing that these little pieces of plastic can help protect you from so many things. So please, if you are involved in any contact sports or sports where dental injury may be a possibility, get a mouth guard. Keep your teeth, keep your smile, and remember, always have fun!