Custom-fit gum shield / mouthguard?

jap200

My 11 year old son is about to start Rugby at school and has been told that he will need a gum shield at the beginning of next term. He has a fixed brace in his mouth at the moment, which is likely to be there for 6-12 months, although most of the major tooth movement is done.

I have now bought 3 different 'boil and bite' gum shields of various types and sizes, but they don't fit well at all and make my son gag - clearly no good.

Our dentist charges around £60 for a custom made gum shield, which bearing in mind it will need replacing once his brace is off, is somewhat out of my price range.

Has anyone tried any of the online companies where you do your own impression and send it off? Can anyone recommend a company?

hartcjhart

cant help with a company, but have you tried contactin a local boxing club for help?

BrokeBrunette

my daughter had the same problem as she does karate. She had a fixed brace for over a year. I got a special mouthguard from her orthodontist. It cost approx £15 and was specially for children/adults who need a mouthguard but have a fixed brace.

My daughter had no problems with it whatsover, despite getting hit in the mouth when wearing it! I suggest you ring your orthodontist and ask if they stock them. I'm sure they will.

good luck

flybynight

O pro. do a self mould kit that you send off and they send you a custom shield, single coulured is roughly £30 i think. also ask at school if they will be having o pro in, they sometimes come and do the mouldings in school if there is enough option.
if youw ant a cheaper option shock doctor do a braces version for about £15 that is slightly better ( they have a "breathing channel" in the middle) than a boily. they also offer more protection.

christineperseus

Are you in HSA scheme? they pay for my childrens mouthguards.
Our school and rugby club have a MASS fitting session where they charge £25 for a mouthguard at the beginning of the season.
Also factor in the extra costs for - I've lost my gumsheild and when you've melted one ironing the shorts!

flybynight

thats what i was refering to. if you phone o pro they will also tell you if they are doing a fitting session at another club near you and you can tag on. and the going through the washer and tumble dryer thing doesnt just happen with kids. i'm on my 3rd.

xxdeebeexx

My dentist wants to charge £120 for a mouth gaurd!! I was expecting about £50 - £60 which I could get back on HSA and I need 1 for each boy !
Unfortunately just 2 weeks ago DS1 broke a tooth during a rugby lesson. School never told us that they were doing rugby so we weren't prepared. Luckily the dentist was able to fill the chip with a white filling. I'm very unhappy as you can imagin... especially as this is the second school/ tooth issue with DS1.
Maybe consider joining HSA (via Quidco for cashback) £60 seems a good price to me but can take several weeks to make, so you will need a 'quicky' in the meantime.

Good Luck

Dx

jcr16

When my hubby played rugby he had one made by the dentist ( however he was an adult so prob alot more rough than 11 yr olds,lol.)

but when he played ice hockey and roller hockey he bought one from a sports shop ( about £5) which you put into boiling water for a few mins, then got it out, let it cool for a bit and put it in your mouth. it then molded to the shape of your teeth and once cooled it held it shape.

jcr16

sorry mis-read your thread thought you meant had anyone tried the boil and bite type . sorry.

jap200

Thanks for the suggestions. As I said in my original post, I have tried various off-the shelf ones and found them no good. This includes the Shock Doc that someone mentioned above - even bought the one that says it works with braces. I have probably already spent £20 buying the off the shelf ones, so should have put this towards a custom-fit one in the first place!

I have had a look at the Opro website and they do look reasonable - around £32, which I will just have to try and find I suppose.

I have phoned the school and they don't have a company coming in to do them - bearing in mind it is a boys grammar school where they all do rugby, you would think they would!

Thanks for the HSA suggestion. My kids are covered by Denplan and they do not pay for mouthguards - despite the fact that they only cover damage to teeth if one is worn during sports!

Toothsmith

jap200 wrote: »

Thanks for the suggestions. As I said in my original post, I have tried various off-the shelf ones and found them no good. This includes the Shock Doc that someone mentioned above - even bought the one that says it works with braces. I have probably already spent £20 buying the off the shelf ones, so should have put this towards a custom-fit one in the first place!

I have had a look at the Opro website and they do look reasonable - around £32, which I will just have to try and find I suppose.

I have phoned the school and they don't have a company coming in to do them - bearing in mind it is a boys grammar school where they all do rugby, you would think they would!

Thanks for the HSA suggestion. My kids are covered by Denplan and they do not pay for mouthguards - despite the fact that they only cover damage to teeth if one is worn during sports!

The 'Denplan for Kids' policy can be quite variable between dentists - but at my place, we just charge the technicians fee for making one - which is about £35.

It's very difficult to make a reasonably fitting 'custom' guard over a fixed brace. I couldn't do it for my own kid!!!!

If you try it yourself with impression material from a mail order place, you'll either pull the brace off as it sets around it, or end up very embarassed in the dentist surgery while he chipps it of (Murmuring about hucking ridiots under his breath )

Ask the orthodontist about what he recommends. They often have some 'off the peg' ones that are quite reasonable.

Really though, full contact rugby and braces aren't a good mix, and it would be best if he could avoid it altogether!