Boil and
Bite: mouth guards are purchased at your local sports store. You take it out of the package and boil the mouth
guard and immediately dip it in cool water. The problems associated with these types of mouth guards are that they are
not designed to stay in your mouth while competing nor do they offer great protection in the way of concussion. The
various kinds of boil and bite guards on the market allow the cost to stay very reasonable and they do offer descent protection
against facial trauma.
Vacuum Formed:
Vacuum formed guards are generally preformed by many dentist or dental laboratories because of the cost to fabricate.
Suck Down Units generally cost around $200 which means that you can start manufacturing very quickly. Dentist choose
to use this method because it is very simple and very quick. The beginning process is the same because you have to take
an impression, make a cast and trim the cast. Vacuum formed guards are very good guards but you can not add layers or
decals because it is difficult for the layers to stick together. That means that you can only get a mouth guard that
is either 2 or 3 mm thick which is fine for sports that require the use of face guards.
Thermoformed: Thermoformed guards have been around for a while
but it is still the latest and greatest in technology. Thermoformed machines allow you to mold several layers together
as well as place logo's/decals within the guard. The other advantage of thermoformed guards is that you can use
multiple layers of material which will allow for a much thicker guard. Since thermoformed guards have the same beginning
process as the vacuum formed it does create a very tight suction when placed in the mouth. These machines start at $2100
and go up to around $3600 and that is why many dental offices and laboratories do not purchase these machines.
Custom Guard Guard's
Youth:
The youth guard is completed with the Vacuum Formed unit and offers up to 3mm of material. If you choose you can purchase
the youth guard and then add a logo which will be completed on the thermoformed unit.
Semi-Pro: The semi-pro
guard is designed for those that are involved in sports that do not deal with the possibility of direct facial trauma.
This guard is manufactured using the thermoformed machine and take approximately 4 hours to manufacture. I use 1-2mm
base and then place a 1" 1mm G-Shock around the facial, the color of your choice is placed on top of the G-shock which
will either be 1mm or 2mm depending on whether you choose to place a logo on the outside. If you choose to place a logo
on the outside then a 1-2mm clear material will go over top of the logo. The finished product will be approximately
3-4mm thick which will offer excellent protection. Listed below are the various sports which you can use this guard
for:
1. Football
2. Lacrose
3. Grappling Tournaments
4.
Jiu-Jitsu
5. Karate/TaeKwonDo
6. Hockey
Pro Guard: The
Pro Guard starts out in the same fashion as the Semi-Pro but instead of using 1mm of material as a base I use the 2mm clear.
The second material that I place on is a Poly mesh material which causes the guard to have a stiffer facial. The third
layers is a 1.5" 3mm G-Shock material. The fourth layer is the color of your choice follow by the decal and 1mm
of clear laminate. All together you are receiving a mouth guard that is approximately 6-7mm thick. This process
take approximately 6-8 hours to manufacture and also requires that you provided an opposing bite (your bottom impression).
Because the material is so much thicker on the front the back has to be shaved down in order to allow the jaw to close.
This guard is considerably more durable as well as internally harder. The outside of the material is as soft as the
Semi which will provide more than adequate protection.
This is an example of the thickness of the Pro Guard prior to placing
any color, decal or clear laminate material. The guard will be 3mm thicker than this when completed.
