Don’t Be Fooled By Imitators: What’s A True Custom Mouthguard?

What makes a mouthguard custom? Personalization does, sure. But custom mouthguards are much more than team logos, colors and player names and numbers.

The “custom” in custom mouthguards actually refers to the fit of the guard, as the most important thing about a mouthguard is the way it fits the athlete’s mouth. Why is that? It’s simple; mouthguards are meant to protect the mouth and jaw from impact, but if a mouthguard isn’t in the right place at the right time, it won’t provide the proper protection.

So, how do you make sure your players’ mouthguards are where they’re supposed to be? Only mouthguards that are designed to fit the exact mouth structure of each individual athlete stay in the right place at all times. That’s what makes them custom.

But don’t trust the imitators.

If your players had to fit their mouthguards by submerging them in boiling water and then biting into them, by definition those are boil-and-bite mouthguards. There is nothing special or custom about the fit of a boil-and-bite, and it’s not all that accurate of a fit either.

While there have been advancements made in the materials used, the design of boil-and-bite guards has gone unchanged since the 1960s. Would you trust protective equipment in your car that hadn’t been updated for 50 years?

A true custom mouthguard starts with an impression of your player’s individual mouth structure. This makes it possible to produce an exact model of the mouth to form the guard on, which ensures the mouthguard is an exact replication.

Unlike boil-an-bite guards, there is no remolding or reforming of this fitting process and none is necessary since the fit is perfect the first time. And unlike boil-and-bites, custom mouthguards aren’t simply pulled off the shelf of a warehouse.

Once an impression is complete, the actual mouthguard is engineered — yes, engineered. True custom mouthguards are engineered from scratch for each specific athlete. In order to match each player’s mouth, each mouthguard needs to be cut and formed differently from the next. That’s why custom mouthguards are cut by hand.

Look at your players’ mouthguards closely: do they all look like they are cut or formed the same exact way? That means they’re not custom. Those guards are being cut and formed by a mathematical model or template in order to be mass-produced.

Everyone’s mouth is different; their mouthguards should be too.

Don’t be fooled by imitators — only custom mouthguards that are engineered for each individual mouth structure and hand-cut are the best protection possible.

Author Bio

Travis Armideo, marketing manager at Gladiator Custom Mouthguards, is a lifelong ice hockey player. He began playing for various clubs at a young age and continued onto junior teams, while also playing lacrosse at the collegiate level. Travis is still heavily involved in athletics, coaching high school and youth ice hockey athletes, as well as playing men’s league ice hockey on a regular basis.