Best Mouthguards For Ice Hockey
- Ken Mitchell
- Sep 18, 2021
- 6 min read
Updated: Feb 10
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Hockey is definitely a "contact" sport, whether your being checked against the boards, struck by a puck, falling hard to the ice, colliding with a teammate, a stick to the face or even a flat out fist fight, this is one aggressive sport. Call me crazy, but why do the refs let the players fist fight each other, can you imagine a fight taking place in a soccer or basketball game where the ref doesn't stop the fight until both players have blood dripping down their faces? Fights happen in all other sports but the refs usually break it up immediately but for some reason its accepted as "normal" in Hockey.
Concussions are very common in Ice Hockey, usually caused from body contact, like a check against the boards. Even though Football has the highest rate of concussions among high school athletes with 7.4 concussions per 10,000 athlete exposures, Hockey ranks second with 6.6 concussions per 10,000 athletes exposures. A recent study states that female hockey athletes sustain concussions more frequently than male athletes and often take longer to recover. This is also true in Soccer.
Wearing a mouthguard in Hockey is essential. I recently read an article that stated only about half of NHL players actually wear a mouthguard. That is Crazy!!! Hockey has always been associated with tooth loss, just look at some pictures online of Hockey players, they usually show players with their two front teeth missing and for some reason they are always grinning from ear to ear. Is that supposed to be funny or signify that your tough? I contest that its because they are ignorant! Wearing a mouthguard is an inexpensive and effective way to prevent dental injuries.
Not wearing a mouthguard can get really expensive not only in Hockey, but in any sport. If you are unfortunate to take a blow to the mouth while not wearing a mouthguard and actually loose a tooth, the average cost of replacing a tooth in the United States is about $3,000 to $10,000 or in some cases, more. The cost of any mouthguard, boil-n-bite or even a custom mouthguard only makes sense.
Im not sure why lip guard mouthguards haven't caught on in the sport of Ice Hockey, but I believe these types of mouthguards could be advantageous to hockey players. I know, I know, nobody else is wearing them and you don't want to be different, I get it.
Check out my top lip guards in the blog post Best Mouthguards For Football.
If you have braces your choices are more limited. Check out the Top Mouthguards section for my top rated braces mouthguards.If you wear a helmet with a facemask, the PowerPlus mouthguard (worn on the lower teeth) is a great option to reduce the probability of a concussion. Also listed below is the AIRWAAV mouthpiece that is fitted to your lower teeth. Always check with your league or club rules before purchasing any mouthguard.
Even though these mouthguards make the "Best" list, make sure you check out the complete review on my Reviews page
BEST MOUTHGUARDS FOR ICE HOCKEY
* PowerPlus Buy Now
amazon.com
TOP CHOICE
* Game On Buy Now
amazon.com
* Makura Ignis Pro Buy Now
amazon.com
* Coollo Sports Buy Now
amazon.com
* GuardLab APEX Buy Now
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* OPRO Silver Buy Now
amazon.com
* SHIELD Sports Triple Density
Buy Now amazon.com
* Shock Doctor Gel Max Buy Now
amazon.com
* Damage Control Grip Guard
Buy Now amazon.com
* AIRWAAV Buy Now
amazon.com
* SHIELD Sports Double Density
Buy Now amazon.com
* Damage Control Buy Now
amazon.com
* SAFEJAWZZ Slim Fit Buy Now
amazon.com
* Venum Challenger Buy Now
amazon.com
* The Wright Guard Buy Now
amazon.com
* Lo-Bloo Slick Buy Now
amazon.com
GuardLab APEX Lite Buy Now
amazon.com
* Under Armour Buy Now
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* SafeTGard AIR Buy Now
*BulletProof Standard Buy Now amazon.com
HOW I (The Author) TEST MOUTHGUARDS & WHY I CAN BE TRUSTED
My name is Ken Mitchell. I Have been fabricating custom mouthguards for more than 15 years and have been a dental technician for over 20 years. I also, have owned my own dental laboratory for over 20 years.
Besides having work experience with mouthguards, I know first hand the importance of mouthguards in the sports world. I have played several sports throughout my life at the hight school level, including basketball, football, baseball and beach volleyball. I am also a father to two sons and a daughter who have played Soccer, Football, Basketball, Volleyball, Lacrosse and Baseball ever since they were in the first grade. From time to time I have used my children to test mouthguards to get a first-hand, real-world experience with custom mouthguards and store bought mouthguards.
I search for every mouthguard on the market. Then, I purchase (with my own funds) every mouthguard I review through places like Amazon, eBay or directly from the manufacturer, just like you would, then evaluate every mouthguard based on my expert opinion. I also comb the internet to find other reviews on durability to develop a better understanding of specific mouthguards pros and cons over an extended period of time.
Every mouthguard I review, is fitted and examined by me. The only time a mouthguard is fitted by another person besides me, would be my son, who plays college football. I use him mainly to fit and use mouthguards for weight training and football.
When I review a mouthguard it must pass certain criteria to rank in my top 10.
FIT- I believe this is the most important factor in evaluating a mouthguard, because without a tight fit, all of the other criteria can be thrown out the window. When wearing a mouthguard you shouldn't have to clench your teeth to stop the mouthguard from falling out. It should fit as tight as possible.
Comfort- Comfort goes hand in hand with the fit, if the the mouthguard is comfortable you wont get distracted by focusing on your mouthguard, instead you will be focused on the game and perform at your highest level.
Protection/Tooth Coverage- With advancement in materials, mouthguards that are thick, aren't necessarily more protective than thinner mouthguards. Brands like SISU and Game On, provide thinner mouthguards that are 40-100% stronger than EVA (ethylene vinyl acetate) that is used by most mouthguard manufacturers. A proper fitting mouthguard should cover at least your first molars to provide adequate protection. A mouthguard shouldn't extend past your second molar because it could trigger the gag reflex. Also, your mouthguard should cover your gums or the roots of your teeth.
Sport- Almost every mouthguard on the market is made for use in multiple sports but there are a few mouthguards that are designed for weight training or exercising. I will break down which sport each mouthguard is better for.
Design- I examine the color variations available and the overall design of the mouthguard, the bells and whistles if you will.
Fitting process- Most boil-n-bite mouthguards are fitted with the same process, although some fitting processes are more uncomfortable than others.
Remember to always take into consideration that every mouthguard may not suit your specific requirements. Each person is different and everyone's mouth is unique to that person. The Mouthguard Review can only evaluate the initial fit of a mouthguard and only "real world" use can show long term durability and other design flaws.
*The Mouthguard Review has no connection to any mouthguard manufacturer and has no financial incentive to rate any brand over another. All of the reviews are written and performed by one person and are 100% unbiased.
THE MATERIALS AND INFORMATION IN THIS ARTICLE HAVE BEEN PREPARED OR ASSEMBLED BY THE MOUTHGUARD REVIEW AND ARE INTENDED FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND ARE NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR ADVICE FROM A LICENSED HEALTH-CAR PROFESSIONAL. YOU SHOULD NOT RELY SOLELY ON THIS CONTENT, AND THE MOUTHGUARD REVIEW ASSUMES NO LIABILITY FOR INACCURACIES. ALWAYS READ LABELS AND DIRECTIONS BEFORE USING A PRODUCT. SOME OF THE INFORMATION MAY BE DATED AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE MOST CURRENT EVENTS. I WROTE THIS ARTICLE MYSELF AND IT EXPRESSES MY OWN OPINIONS.
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