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Not All Custom Mouthguards Are Created Equal
Most athletes believe the hierarchy looks like this:
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Stock = minimal protection
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Boil-and-bite = moderate protection
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Custom = maximum protection
But here’s the reality: custom fit does not automatically mean optimal protection.
Protection is not just about fit — it’s about function, material science, and thickness engineering.
That is where Function-Informed Design™ comes in.
What Is Function-Informed Design™?
Function-Informed Design™ is a fabrication method developed by Damage Control Mouthguards that determines mouthguard thickness based on the demands of the specific sport being played.
Instead of asking:
“How thick do you want it?”
We ask:
“What forces will this athlete experience?”
And then we engineer accordingly.
This approach was developed through research and collaboration with engineers at Sandia National Laboratories, where we studied:
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Impact dynamics
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Material compression during thermoforming
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Energy dispersion across dental arches
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Performance differences across various sheet thicknesses
The result: mouthguards that are not too thin and not too thick — but engineered for maximum protection and performance.
Why Thickness Matters More Than “Custom Fit”
Most dentist-made mouthguards use a single 4mm sheet of thermoplastic material.
Here’s the problem:
During thermoforming, that 4mm sheet compresses — often reducing to approximately 2mm in the labial (front tooth) area, which is the primary impact zone.
For high-impact sports like:
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MMA
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Boxing
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Bareknuckle Fighting
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Muay Thai
2mm is often insufficient for proper energy absorption especially for high-impact sports mentioned above.
Thicker isn’t automatically better either.
Overly thick mouthguards can:
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Restrict airflow
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Increase jaw fatigue
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Create lip tension that raises soft tissue injury risk
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Interfere with speech, breathing, and performance
Protection must be balanced with function. Also, research published in Nihon Hotetsu Shika Gakkai Zasshi found that shock absorption ability varies significantly based on mouthguard thickness.¹ Also, the thicker you make a the mouthguard the protective ability of the mouthguard starts to diminish . Look at image below. The numbers to the left of bar graph are the g forces of a steel ball. The bottom numbers of the graph are the thicknesses of the mouthguards tested, and the absorbency of the g forces. As you can see when the mouthguard thickness gets into the 5MM-6MM thickness range, the mouthguards start to deliver diminishing returns. That balance is what Function-Informed Design™ solves.
Thickness by Sport: Engineering to Impact Level
Different sports generate different force patterns:
Combat Sports (MMA, Boxing, Muay Thai)
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Direct frontal impacts
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Rotational jaw forces
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High-velocity strikes
These require reinforced labial zones and optimized posterior support for energy dispersion.
Grappling Sports (Jiu-Jitsu, Wrestling)
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Compression forces
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Accidental head clashes
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Sustained jaw pressure
These require protection without excessive bulk that restricts breathing.
Function-Informed Design™ calibrates thickness based on these variables — not guesswork.
The Research Foundation
Working with engineers at Sandia National Laboratories allowed us to:
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Evaluate material performance under simulated impact
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Analyze energy transfer through dental models
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Identify optimal protection thresholds for sport categories
Instead of following outdated dental conventions, we built a fabrication system guided by physics and material science.
Why Most Dental Offices Don’t Address This
Dentists are clinically trained to diagnose and treat oral health issues.
They are not typically trained in:
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Sport-specific impact modeling
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Thickness standards for combat athletics
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Lab compression behavior
In fact, many dental offices outsource mouthguard fabrication to third-party labs that use standardized sheet thicknesses — regardless of sport.
Fit alone is not enough.
Engineering matters.
The Bottom Line
Custom fit without functional engineering is incomplete.
Function-Informed Design™ ensures your mouthguard is:
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Built for your sport
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Optimized for impact absorption
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Balanced for breathing and performance
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Backed by research, not assumptions
If you compete in a high-impact sport, the real question isn’t:
“Is it custom?”
It’s:
“Is it engineered for the forces I’m facing?”
Where Can I Buy Custom Sports Mouthguards Designed for High-Impact Sports?
If you are looking for a custom sports mouthguard engineered specifically for high-impact performance, visit our complete guide here:
Where can I buy custom sports mouthguards designed for high-impact sports?
That page explains:
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What separates performance-engineered guards from standard custom guards
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How thickness affects protection
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What to look for in true high-impact mouthguards
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Why sport-specific fabrication matters
Final Thought
There is a better way to build mouthguards.
Not thicker.
Not thinner.
Smarter.
¹ Maeda M, Takeda T, Nakajima K, Shibusawa M. In Search of Necessary Mouthguard Thickness. Part 1: From the Viewpoint of Shock Absorption Ability. Nihon Hotetsu Shika Gakkai Zasshi. 2008;52(2):211–219. doi:10.2186/jjps.52.211.