Posts Tagged ‘Mouthguards’
Under Armour Performance Mouthwear
August 6th, 2011 by Ben RemingtonI’m gong to preface this article with saying that I am a big supporter of Under Armour and the products that they make. I have a number of Under Armour shirts, a pair of cleats, batting gloves, etc. But I’m about to dive into something of theirs that I’m not particularly thrilled about. Not that I’m not the utmost capitalist- by all means, as Katt Williams said ‘Do what it do to make your money booboo.’ I just think the folks at UA got a little overzealous on this one.
Under Armour Performance Mouthwear.
Now, I’m all for what ever it takes to improve your game. Without hours of staring into hockey equipment magazines, my life wouldn’t be the same, and I do think that the right equipment DOES make the difference, in a lot of cases. However, Upon seeing and subsequently merchandising this new line of very expensive mouthwear (which is a cute way to not call them mouthguards), I was skeptical. The well marketed packaging guaranteed to make you faster, stronger and better. I was even more skeptical yet when I noticed a fixture at a local sporting goods store with a video display attempting to back up the claims made on the packaging. So to satisfy my own curiosity, I did some digging online. It didn’t take me long to find an entire article from a dental site completely shattering everything UA says. I especially love the part ripping the idea of wearing a mouthguard during non-contact activities.
Now, as I mentioned before in my less than complimentary article about Power Balance, and as the writer from Dental Watch also mentions, confidence is key. The Placebo Effect is a phenomenon that absolutely cannot be argued, and if you throw in a spendy mouthguard(or a phony bracelet) and think you’re a better player, then damn it, you are. I like confidence boosters just as much as the next guy, just not ones that hit so hard in the wallet. My advice- buy a pair of wristbands, everyone plays better with wristbands.
In conclusion, I’m going to give Under Armour a free pass on this one, but only because I love everything else they do. Maybe they mean well, as they did spend a TON of money trying to convince you (and perhaps themselves) of the merits of these mouthguards. Just don’t be that parent who shell’s out half a day’s pay for one.
The Importance of a Mouthguard
August 23rd, 2010 by Ben Remington
With football season almost at full tilt, and hockey season just over the horizon, mouthpieces (or mouthguards) are of ultimate importance, as their role in protection from dental injury(Just ask Duncan Keith), and also head injury in general has grown over the years. Concussion prevention, as I have mentioned before, is a hot button topic from the NFL down to Pop Warner, and mouthpieces play an integral role in prevention, by providing a cushion between the jaws during impact. Many studies have been done to prove the benefits of mouthguard use to that effect.
Gone are the days of a flimsy molding of plastic coating your teeth to protect you, as innovations in the field have made leaps and bounds over the years, thanks to industry pioneers like Shock Doctor and others, who have breathed new research and technology into the construction of mouth protection. Some of the innovation comes from the materials used, as new plastics and differing properties of those plastics have allowed for multi-layered mouthpieces. Other innovations lie in the design, as breathing has been made easier, and comfort and reliability has been made a priority towards new models.
Mouthpieces typically come in either a youth or adult size, with the cutoff being somehwere around age ten. If a youth mouthguard does not fit, but an adult one is too big, trimming the adult piece is easy with just a pair of scissors, and then forming the mouthguard from there. Most mouthpieces are formed by quickly putting them into boiling water, with the amount of time differing by model, then applying the mouthpiece to your teeth, biting down and allowing the softened plastic to take shape.
Virtually every governing body in football and hockey require mouthpieces to be worn at all times all the way up to the high school level, so not only is it a good idea that you or your child have a mouthguard, it could be a 5 yard or 2 minute penalty if they don’t. The benefits clearly out weigh the usually affordable price of a mouth guard, as they’ll range from the basic $3 style to high end models around $20-$25 and even further up to full custom built mouthguards, like the one featured in our giveaway this week that rings in a whopping $150 retail.