Wearing a tooth guard is generally something that boxers and other similar sports people wear and is not something anyone from other sports is likely to wear.

Yet, scientists believe they should. However, how many of us who play sport actually think we should?

With an estimated 5 million teeth lost in the US each year through sports injuries, Dr. Jerry Burgess, a cosmetic dentist said: “A properly-fitted sports guard can prevent damage to your tongue, cheeks, lips, and gums and more importantly prevent broken teeth, nerve damage or the loss of a tooth.”

Millions of people throughout the world participate in many different types of sporting activities and while most could not be described as violent, nevertheless there are many injuries – over 200,000 oral injuries in America alone, according to the American Dental Association.

A colleague of Dr. Burgess, Scott Mason added: “It is easy to protect your smile by simply wearing a well-fitted, protective guard. As a father of a young athlete, I want to do what’s best for my child’s dental and overall health, and one way I can do that is to arm him with a guard to wear while he’s playing sports. I hope that other parents will see the importance of having their child wear a sport guards and do the same.”

Offering a sports guard service is not something most dentists would normally consider doing. However, doctors Burgess and Mason clearly feel it is something that should be offered. One of the devices they sell to their patients is called Under Armour Performance Mouthwear. The aim of the item is to protect the teeth and jaw while enabling the airway to be enlarged, thus increasing oxygen flow. It also reduces lactic acid build up.

A US dentist has invented a new mouth guard that he believes is more effective at cutting down teeth grinding and clenching than the current models – particularly in this time of major economic stress!

Dr Joe Pelerin, based in Lake Orion in Michigan, found that many mouth guards currently on the market are either too cheap, and therefore don’t work effectively, or are too expensive and so out of the reach of most of his ordinary customers.

“Stress is responsible for teeth clenching and grinding,” said Dr Pelerin who has practiced family dentistry for three decades, “and what most people don’t realise is that teeth grinding and clenching not only damages teeth and fillings and leads to receding gums and root canals, but also can be the cause of migraine headaches and pain in the shoulders, neck, back and ears.”

“Far too many individuals suffer needlessly for years from chronic pain when a simple and inexpensive solution is available.”

The solution he has come up with is the GrindGuardN, an FDA-approved device that is different from others on the market. It features a patented Central Power Bar that releases the stimulus for clenching, reducing grinding activity by up to 70%.

“Because it concentrates forces on the upper and lower midline at the same time when a patient clenches, GrindGuardN is the only device ever shown to reduce clenching and grinding without having to visit the dentist,” says Dr. Pelerin.

The GrindGuardN is available online and Dr Pelerin is so confident about his invention that he is even offering a 30-day money back guarantee.

“The cheap $20 to $30 over-the-counter mouth guards available in drug stores actually can increase grinding and clenching,” explains Dr. Pelerin, “and more expensive traditional horseshoe devices provide some relief but are uncomfortable to use and can cost $200 to $500 or more.”