Are Boil and Bite Mouthguards Safe?
If you're new to buying Mouthguards, you may be wondering what the difference is between the £100+ one the dentist is offering to make for you and the one's online for £5-15, and if the off-the-shelf offerings are going to offer the necessary protection. Hopefully this blog post will help you to make an informed decision.
There are 2 main types of Sports Mouthguards; boil and bite (or self-fit) and custom fit. At SAFEJAWZ we make both, so we haven't got any particular bias, but it is important to know the difference.
Boil and bite Mouthguards can be found in most sports shops as well as online retailers such as Amazon and generally range in price between £5 and £20. You will find self fit Mouthguards cheaper than £5 but they are generally poorly made and when it comes to protecting yours or your loved ones' teeth we'd recommend it's worth more of an investment than that.
There are a range of different constructions and features you'll see in boil and bite Mouthguards, some of them are just meaningless marketing slogans, others will make a big difference to the quality of the gum shield.
Custom-Fit Mouthguards are made specifically to the wearer's mouth using a dental impression and often made of a more durable material than self fit Mouthguards. In the past they have generally been made by dentists and cost £100+. This is notably more money than off-the-shelf Mouthguards so you may wonder if it is price you need to pay.
Generally speaking we do recommend Custom-Fit Mouthguards as the gold
Sometimes, though, you may decide a self fit mouthguard is fine for your needs. If this is the case you can rest assured that most are up to the task. All SAFEJAWZ self fit Mouthguards are suitable for all contact sports and thanks to our FluidFit(tm) and RemodelTech(tm) systems the fit is almost as good as a custom fit! Our boil and bite gum shields are also CE certified as personal Protective Equipment which should give you added peace of mind.
Decided a self fit mouthguard is for you? Browse our full range here
