These are an absolute must if you are going to play Rugby – the best type is a custom one from your dentist. Boil and mould mouthguards are better than nothing, but far from ideal.
A custom made mouthguard is much more likely to stay in place at impact and actually protect your mouth.
Yes they cost a little bit – but it is much cheaper than fixing a busted tooth or jaw. Mouthguards are designed to protect your teeth, jaw and parts of your face. They MAY also help reduce the impact of concussion, but this is not proven in the literature as yet.
Getting to see a dentist on a Saturday is difficult and expensive, investing in a good quality mouthguard is cheap prevention.
Players that say they can’t wear a mouthguard – you can start by wearing a mouthguard at training for short time periods (5 mins at a time). For contact work a mouthguard should be worn in any case.
