Soccer is the most popular sport in the world with over 265 million participants worldwide (as of 2007). At a glance, it may not seem like a high contact sport, like football or rugby, but with close quarter plays it can become a very physical. With that many participants, dental injuries are a lot more common than you think. In fact, up to 30% of all injuries in soccer are to the orofacial region. Soccer mouthguards are usually not required, but they are the only piece of sports PPE that could save you from a toothless grin.
The purpose of mouthguards are to protect your teeth and your gums. They don't prevent concussions and they don't give you super powers (sorry). With the close quartered nature of soccer, plays can sometimes lead to flying elbows, knees to the face, and falls to the ground leading you to hit your chin. A soccer mouthguard can help protect your teeth from breaks or chips and cuts to your lips.
Mouthguards can also protect other players from your teeth. Even if it doesn't hurt you or you don't feel it, you can easily injure another player with your teeth (especially athletes with braces). If another player accidentally smacks their elbow on your teeth, it's highly unlikely for your teeth to break skin if you are wearing a mouthguard.
Getting your teeth knocked out is extremely expensive and painful. In most cases, if you get to the dentist immediately they will be able to reinsert it. However, not all dental injuries can be easily fixed, in extreme cases some may require oral surgery or even wiring the jaw shut. Wearing a soccer mouthguard severely reduces your risk of having to worry about these dental injuries.
As we mentioned, dental injuries can be very expensive with a dental implant costing up to $4,000. Luckily, most mouth guards manufacturers back their products dental warranty ($35,000 for SISU) to cover any out of pocket expenses. Not only do you get the actual protection of the mouthguard, but you also get the additional security of the dental warranty.
When it comes to implementing mouthguard regulations, it is historically followed by protest and resistance from players. Athletes are used to conventional mouthguards that are bulky, uncomfortable and inhibit their ability to talk.
There's multiple types of mouthguards out there varying in price, protection and comfort, but that not all mouthguards are created equally.
Soccer is a game of communication. With conventional mouthguards, that is something you end up sacrificing. Wearing a custom fitted mouthguard, whether it's dentist made, SISU or online ordered, the most protective option and won't get in the way of your game.
