Boxing is a game that can potentially leave the players with serious injuries, especially in the face and head. You may be wondering: Why do boxers wear a mouthguard?
Wearing high-quality protective gear such as mouth guards are of critical importance during a session of practice or formal game. These protective gears work as a cushion and minimize the impact of the punches and blows, helping protect the soft tissues of the gums, tongue, cheeks, and brain.
Why do boxers wear mouth guards?
For playing the game safely and protecting the mouth from injuries, boxers wear mouth guards. The mouth guards are protective tools that protect your teeth, lips, and jaws from injuries. In games like boxing, the chances of being attacked by the opponent on the mouth increases.
The mouth guards save the players from these dangerous attacks. These are also known as mouthpieces, mouth protectors, gum guards, gum shields, occlusal splint, nightguard, bite plane, and bite splint. It is very important to wear mouthguards while playing games like boxing, karate, and martial arts. Mouthguards are a little bit uncomfortable for you but after all, it is for your safety.
Do you really need a mouth guard for boxing?
Yes, it is not safe for you to play games like boxing without mouth guards. You can be seriously injured by a punch on your mouth. You should wear mouth guards when playing games like boxing and karate.
Mouthguards are part of the standard safety gear for boxing. Rather, it is the most important safety gear in the game of boxing. Examples can be easily found all around us when someone did not wear mouth guards and went to play boxing but returned with severe injuries.
It is recommended that every coach should wear mouth guards and make their students wear them as well during practice and formal games. Also, soft mouth guards are available for students and beginners.
Can you use a football mouth guards for boxing?
No, you cannot use football mouth guards in boxing because the mouth guards that are used in football are designed completely differently. They are designed to avoid injuries that may receive from football or collision with the players. And we all know that boxing is completely different from a game of football.
So, you should use specially-designed mouth guards for a particular game to avoid any injury to your body. There are many benefits of wearing the perfect mouth guards for boxing such as:
- Helps prevent brain damages: It may sound very strange but it is true. The teeth are connected to the brain. So when you get a punch on your teeth, your brain also feels it and bounces inside the skull. That is why you feel unclear vision when a punch hits you so badly.
- Improves boxers’ performance: When boxers wear mouth guards, they feel safe and secure. This helps them focus on their game and fearlessly attacking the opponent. On the other hand, when they do not wear mouth guards, they do not feel safe and therefore, they focus more on defense.
Why are mouth guards only for top teeth?
Mouthguards act as a cushion when a powerful punch lands on the face and minimizes the risk of teeth dropping off, lips, jaws, tongue, and face receiving serious injuries. The guards particularly cover the top teeth and intend to protect the delicate tissues of lips, tongue, and cheek lining.
The top teeth bear the maximum brunt of the trauma received by an injury because these teeth stick out more. The bottom teeth are naturally more protected as they are hidden behind the top teeth and further back.
Can Mouth guards damage teeth?
Boxers’ mouthguards are meant to be used during the practice and formal games. But if someone wears them for far too long, there is a possibility that the teeth guards may push the teeth and make them shift from their original place. But wearing custom-made mouth and teeth guards may solve this problem.
All boxing enthusiasts and players must wear appropriate mouth guards every time they engage in a game of boxing. They save you from potentially dangerous injuries in the facial region. There are special mouthguards for boxing and these should be worn during a game of boxing.
Similar protective gear for other games such as football will not be as effective so they should not be worn during a game of boxing. But it is important to wear these protective gears only during the game and not beyond it. Overusing them can leave you with stress in the face and gums.