Best Mouthguards For Wrestling
- Ken Mitchell
- Sep 18, 2021
- 5 min read
Updated: Feb 10
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Wresting is considered a full-contact sport that can be violent at times. Its also one of those sports that leaves your teeth completely vulnerable to an elbow, hand, knee or head to your mouth. The most common injuries in wrestling involve the head, face, knee's and skin related infections, among the oral injuries that occur in wrestling are tooth fracture, tooth chipping and root fracture. With the cost of going to the dentist for a dental related injury being so high, why not do yourself a favor and wear a mouthguard?
Not wearing a mouthguard can get really expensive not only in Wrestling, 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.
Recently the American Journal of Sports Medicine found that wrestling had the highest concussion rate of all college level sports, traditionally, football has had the highest rates of concussions. This study collected data that was reported from college athletic trainers over a five year period. Unlike football where you have a helmet on and have a lot more athletes on the field at any given time, the large number of reported concussions in wrestling may be due to the simple fact that you can't hide when you are injured. The coaches, referees, trainers and spectators are so close to the match that its nearly impossible to pretend your not injured.
Football and wrestling are starting to make rule changes to protect the athletes. But I wouldn't wait for someone else to protect you. I would be pro-active by learning better techniques in tackling for football or by using the right wrestling techniques to protect yourself. You can still be aggressive, just be smart. If your reading this article, you must be a little concerned with your safety.
If you have braces your choices are more limited. Check out the Top Mouthguards section for my top rated braces mouthguards. 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 WRESTLING
All of these mouthguards are thinner than traditional mouthguards without sacrificing protection. My top choice for wrestling is the Game On mouthguard, but any of these will be a good choice.
TOP CHOICE
* GAME ON Buy Now
amazon.com
* SISU 3D Buy Now
amazon.com
* Shock Doctor SuperFit Buy Now
amazon.com
* Lo-Bloo Slick Buy Now
amazon.com
* GuardLab APEX Lite Buy Now
amazon.com
* SISU Next Gen Max Buy Now
amazon.com
* BATTLE Ultra-Slim Buy Now
amazon.com
* Under Armour Micro Slim Buy Now
amazon.com
* SISU Next Gen Aero Buy Now
amazon.com
* Adams All Sport Buy Now
amazon.com
* NXTRND Zero Buy Now
amazon.com
* Shock Doctor Ultra-Slim Microfit
Buy Now amazon.com
* Under Armour PowerFit Super Slim
*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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