This guide was made so people shopping for, or are currently using, a mouthguard to know if they have a quality piece of equipment and why they should.
First, start with the most common mouthguard- the $0.99 flat mouthguard.
While this maybe the minimal thing your school requires you to wear, I STRONGLY prohibit anyone from using these in such a high contact sport such as football. Sure these may have their one benefit, but the also have a huge disadvantage- the fact that they could end causing you serious brain damage in occurance with a concussion.
See when you get concussion, you lose consciousness and your heart tries to pump all the crucial oxygen and blood the brain needs in its time of injury. What does this have to do with anything? These low quality mouthguard encourages your mouth to shut and make for difficulty breathing. The thing is the seconds after your concussion oxygen is what keeps your brain fully functional and intact. If there's no oxygen the brain suffers low to high levels of damage and in extreme cause cause near death occurance.
What ones should you get then? There are several brands of high quality mouthguards but what you should look for is that it mentions something about breathing, or speaking. These are good ones. Another thing to look for is a dental warranty, some offer up to $12,500 per occurance w/faulty piece of equipment.
As I said, there are several brands of these but, I recommend Shock Doctor mouth pieces. The have different qualities with their best being the ultra. They are at the top of the line and definitely something that's worth your money.
Now after you've purchased your piece you should never forget the most important part- molding your mouthguard. While each piece will have specific instructions on how to mold it to your mouth, you should always have a firm bite on it, be sucking in and pushing the top of mold across the top of your teeth.
If you follow these instructions your taking a smart step to protecting yourself while playing the brutal sport of football.
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