What Mouthguard Should I Buy?

Depending on the sport you play, the level of protection you need may vary. In the world of mouth guards, there are many different options available to you and your athletes. In general, for a mouthguard to deliver proper protection, a minimum thickness of 3mm of material is necessary in the impact zones. Impact zones are located under the molars and in front of the teeth. However, because these zones differ from sport to sport, not all mouth guards offer the same thickness and some may not be ideal for your specific sport.

So, how do you decide what mouth guard is for you? Which mouthguard is best for your players? In the article below, we have categorized different sports based on their protection needs, in order to help you choose the mouthguard that's best for you.

Football - Ice Hockey- Lacrosse

Since athletes in football, lacrosse and ice hockey, get facial protection in the form of facemasks, cages or full shields attached to their helmets, they do not need to wear bulky mouth guards.

In fact, to protect against upper and lower jaw collisions, many prefer wearing mouth guards with a thin frontal profil and added material under the molars. The added material under the molars acts as a shock absorber by dispersing the impact energy before it is transmitted to the jaw and teeth,  protecting the mouth from serious injury.

Because high material thickness inhibits your ability to speak clearly, athletes participating in team sports prefer a thinner frontal profil mouth guard delivering more comfort with better breathing and communication. However, to protect the mouth from debris and lip lacerations, mouth guards featuring a lip shield can be beneficial to the athlete as long as they feature an appropriate breathing hole and bite pad design.

We recommend the Nxtrnd ONE or the Nxtrnd Classic

Boxing - Mixed Martial Arts

In boxing and mixed martial arts, frontal protection is very important. These two sports are known for direct and constant impact to the mouth and face and feature no facial protection of any kind. Despite the use of headgear, additional protection such as mouth guards are required to protect against upper and lower jaw collisions. For optimal protection, we recommend a mouth guard that features added frontal protection to further absorb direct impact to the mouth. 

We recommend the Nxtrnd Rush

Wrestling - BJJ

Since Brazilian jiu jitsu and wrestling are two sports that feature no facial protection, yet permit direct blows to the mouth and face, mouth guards with added frontal protection and added protection between the molars is recommended. 

We recommend the Nxtrnd Rush

Basketball - Soccer

Unlike football and hockey, basketball and soccer do not require facemasks or helmets. Due to the fast pace of these contact sports and the lack of head/facial protection, athletes are prone to serious injury. Since impact to the face is common, protection of the frontal impact zone is necessary but at a lesser degree than in boxing and mma. In fact, because communication and breathing are of top priority in these sports, the mouth guards frontal area does not need to be overdone in terms of material thickness. Similar to football and hockey, a thinner frontal profil mouth guard with added material under the molars delivering more comfort, better breathing and communication is recommended.

We recommend the Nxtrnd Classic or Nxtrnd Rush

Field Hockey

Similar to basketball and soccer, field hockey is a sport played below the waist which means impact usually comes from the bottom up. This sport differs simply by the fact that it is played with a stick and a hard ball which causes serious damage to the face and mouth when impacts occur. For optimal protection, added material in the front impact zone and bite pads is necessary.

We recommend the Nxtrnd Rush

In all cases, to get the most of your mouth guard, you will need to take proper care of the device.

• Before and after every use, wash and rinse your mouth guard with cool water and soap.
• To prevent germ build up, brush the guard with a toothbrush and toothpaste before and after every use.
• Avoid chewing on the mouth guard or wearing removable retainers with your mouth guard
• Replace your mouth guard when it shows signs of wear and tear.

Please note that although our mouth guards offer a high level of protection, all impact sports carry inherent risks for serious injury.