SPOTLIGHT on Health...
Custom Mouth guards…by a Licensed Dentist!
By Dr Adam Persky & Dr. Silva Battaglin
As the Official Dentist and Custom Mouth guard provider for the UFC, WEC and the Ultimate Fighter TV Series as
well as working with Tuff Nuff Productions, TruesportsMMA as well as many mixed martial arts, boxing and sports organizations for the last 19 years we have seen the entire spectrum of what kinds of mouth guards are worn and not worn by athletes of all ages.
Our Family & Sports Dental Practice, Smileshapers is located in Las Vegas, Nevada. Our custom mouth guards are offered to the sports world by our Mouth guards site www.fightdentist.com. You could say we are in the “epi-center” of the martial arts and boxing worlds. This has allowed us to work hand and hand with hundreds of professional and amateur fighters. We also have worked with many professional sports organizations, agents, managers and official in regards to mouth guards and sports related dental injuries.
Properly diagnosed by a licensed Dentist, designed, and properly fitted fabricated mouth guards are essential in the prevention of athletic oral/facial injuries and secondary trauma. In a 1995 study, it was found there was a high incidence of injuries in sports other than football, in both male and female sporting activities. In football where mouth guards are worn, .07% of the injuries were orofacial. In basketball where mouth guards are not routinely worn, 34% of the injuries were orofacial. The various injuries ranged from simple contusions and lacerations, avulsions (teeth knocked out), concussions and broken jaws.
Most often, the most common type of head injury is dental in nature. Loosing a tooth can be an expensive situation, with costs ranging from $1,000 to $15,000 per tooth in lifetime dental costs. The American Dental Association estimates that mouth guards do prevent over 200,000 injuries each year in high school and collegiate football alone.
The term "mouth guard" is a rather generic term today; there are many different products that go by the same name. The "over the counter" ones that everyone is familiar with to very properly fitted custom mouth guards delivered by a dental professional. Almost all mouth guards worn today are from the variety that can be purchased "over the counter", only 10% are custom made by a dental professional for the athlete. That number is rising quickly as many of today’s athletes realize how important is to have a custom mouth guard.
For a mouth guard to be made correctly, it must fulfill several different objectives & goals.
A Mouth guard criteria list includes but is not limited to:
Fit well and cover all THE teeth: Be protective of the teeth: Resistant to tearing or shredding
: Least bulky possible while still providing protection: Comfortable to wear and for breathing
: Adequate thickness to prevent concussions: Allow speaking with minimal interferences: Should be overseen by a Dental professional
With NO GUARD or a guard that is not properly fitted there is usually no consistent space between the lower jaw and the base of the skull, which can result in injuries to the athlete.
With A GUARD properly fitted custom fitted guard you will get 2-4 mm of space, which will help protect you against injuries, you will breathe better and have more confidence. You should always consider the option of getting a custom properly fitted guar
Without a properly made and fitted mouth guard, your lower jaw will still be in contact with the base of your skull, increasing the possibility of secondary trauma and concussions. It is extremely difficult to have a store bought mouth guard provide the proper protection to your jaw. Each person has a different size and shape jaw, by using a stock mouth guard will decrease the protective abilities of a mouth guard.
Every Athlete of every age and level should at the beginning of his or her sport year should have a full dental exam and then a minimum of a second exam the same year. We highly recommended having two exams per year as well as limited exams after major sporting bouts to make sure there was no damage done to any of your teeth or jaw. The goal is to have all cavities and broken teeth fixed prior to any bout and before having any custom mouth guard made to ensure a custom fit.
The mouth guard, also known as a mouthpiece or sports guard is a device that fits into the mouth over one or both arches of teeth. They are typically made of vacuum-formed or heat laminated plastic. The most common type of mouth guard can be boiled to a hot temperature, and then placed in the user's mouth, where it will mold to that person's teeth.
However, other types of mouth guards exist, such as custom made properly made and fitted mouth guards or the very inexpensive stock mouth guard, which has almost no ability to adjust to the athlete’s mouth. Mouth guards are most commonly used to protect against injury during contact sports where injuries to the face and head are a major hazard, such as martial arts, mixed martial arts, boxing, wrestling, basketball and weight training. Like a seat belt in a car, your mouth guard should always be worn when you may have contact with another athlete. Mouth guards are most commonly used to protect against injury during contact sports where injuries to the face and head are a major hazard, such as martial arts, mixed martial arts, boxing, wrestling, basketball and weight training.
From December 2005 to March 2007 our Dental Practice was authorized by the Nevada State Athletic Commission to perform a random study in Las Vegas. In total, samples were obtained at 36 Las Vegas events, from amateur level to high-level professional contests, and over 580 mouth guards were examined. Contestants were interviewed during the weigh-ins, and mouth guards were inspected, measured & photographed prior to the contests.
Using the criteria as a member of the American Academy of Sports Dentistry, simply on the quality of the mouth guard and looking for a minimum thickness of 1.5 mm of good consistent material with no holes, no tears and no damage, we would have given 453 of the 580 mouth guards a failing grade and would not have allowed them to be used at a Boxing or MMA Event.
Athletes, Trainers and Parents should note that stock and boil and bite mouth guards bought at sporting good stores do not provide the protection that is recommended by dental professionals. Poor fitting mouth guards can’t deal with the individual characteristics athletes have. Athletes do not play the same sport under the same circumstances and experience.
They do not compete at the same level of competition. They are not the same age and do not have the same size mouth. They do not have the same number and shape of teeth.
How can a one-size-fits-all mouth guard be properly fitted? This is the why mouth guards bought at sporting goods stores, without the recommendation and direction of a qualified dentist, should only be considered as a last resort when a properly fitted guard by a licensed Dentist is not available.
The Nevada State Athletic Commission requires every athlete who is competing in the State of Nevada to have 2 properly fitted mouth guards. It is recommended that every athlete have a minimum of one dental exam per year to make sure there are no oral health problems and should have those problems corrected prior to fighting and getting a properly fitted mouth guard. Every athlete should highly consider having a properly fitted mouth guard done by a dental professional. Only a licensed Dentist in the State of Nevada can take the proper custom impression and make sure that your teeth are ready to go. Every state has its own rules and regulations in regards to that can take a dental impression. You need to always remember is that only get one set of teeth and need to protect them.
Each month and prior each event, the athlete should inspect their mouth guard to make sure it fits properly, has no holes, tears and covers all of the teeth with a minimum of 1-1.5 mm of material. The thicker the material the more protection one receives. Mouth guards should be worn at ALL times, during practice as well as during bouts. Remember, an accident can happen at any time.
About the Docs of Fightdentist-
Both Dentists are 1990 graduates of Boston University’s Goldman School of Graduate Dentistry. Known in the MMA world as “Doc” Dr Adam Persky has been making mouth guards for athletes of all ages for over 19 years. Along with his wife Dr Silva Battaglin, they have dedicated the last several years working the Boxing and MMA world and more with the UFC than any other organization. They also have a Family, Cosmetic and Sports Dental Practice in Las Vegas, Nevada. They can usually be seen ringside at most UFC events that are held in Las Vegas.
Fightdentist.com and Smileshapers.com is located at 7945 West Sahara Ave Suite 101
Las Vegas, Nevada 89117. We can be reached at (702) 220-7966 or (866) 730-6621.
Send any questions to info@fightdentist.com