Football Mouthguard Importance: Impact, Teeth, Inner Mouth

When the average person thinks about sports where mouthguards play a central role, football is likely one of the first candidates that comes to mind. This is one of the most contact-heavy sports out there, and a mouthguard is a simple necessity for every player who will be on the field when it comes to protecting the mouth, jaw and teeth. 

At Damage Control Mouthguards, we're happy to offer a wide selection of the very best football mouthguards you can find, in addition to mouthguards for MMA, boxing, basketball and many other activities. In this two-part blog series, we'll go over all the key reasons why football players need mouthguards, including some you may not have considered.

Absorbing Impact Shock

As many of our readers may have already guessed, one of the most prominent and well-known reasons why football players need mouthguards is to help absorb the shock of any impact that could occur during a tackle or similar play. These impacts can be quite hard when two players come together at full speed, leading to several major risks.

However, a mouthguard helps protect against these risks by serving as a cushion of sorts that absorbs the shock and helps protect the teeth from chipping or cracking, along with other potential damage. These mouthguards are designed to fit comfortably in the mouth while still offering the necessary protection.

Avoiding Tooth Trauma

Down related lines, football players who don't wear mouthguards can be subject to various forms of tooth trauma. This is especially true of those plays where a player's head might get snapped back and forth, as this can lead to the teeth being knocked together with great force.

With a high-grade mouthguard, though, much of this potential trauma is minimized. The mouthguard can help keep the teeth in place while absorbing part of the force, thus reducing the risk of traumatic injuries to the teeth.

Inner Mouth Protection

One are that some people don't consider closely enough when it comes to football mouthguards is the protection of the inner parts of the mouth. While a helmet protects against head trauma, there may still be some cases where a player takes a blow to the face or jaw that impacts the soft tissues in the mouth — such as the lips and tongue — without chipping any teeth.

A custom-fitted mouthguard can help protect against these kinds of blows as well, which is why they're so important. They can help reduce the risk of lacerations, bruising and other impacts that could leave a player unable to play in an upcoming game.

These are just a few of the major reasons why football players need mouthguards — and they're all very important, too. Be sure to check back soon for part two of this blog series when we'll cover several more benefits of wearing a mouthguard while playing football.

In the meantime, contact Damage Control Mouthguards today and learn more about our selection of custom-fitted football mouthguards! Our team will be happy to assist you in finding the perfect fit for your needs.