crgs + mouthguards ordering

[ish]

Hello,

Am seeking advice on ordering the mouthguards. Do the kids need two mouthguards in a year? any thoughts on which protection level they would need at this stage in Yr 7.

Thanks

[ish]

No replies as yet.....

Could perhaps someone advise on the type of sports that are compulsory in Year 7 or are done as part of Physical Education?

Thanks

[Amber]

Not at your school but I imagine the children have the same kind of teeth there as anywhere else.

Most year 7s have to have a mouthguard for hockey and/or rugby. There are lots of different kinds available, usually at a reasonable cost, but as children's dentition changes a lot over the course of adolescence you will probably end up shelling out every year. I have a bias towards dentists, being married to one, but some of the companies which come into schools are probably just as good (though no cheaper and you have less comeback than with your friendly local dentist) and a lot of people opt for them as it is the easiest option. I think the boil in the bag ones are less good - though many people use them quite happily. OH reckons that if they were used in anger (eg on the wrong end of a hockey ball) they might offer less protection than a professionally fitted one.

[kenyancowgirl]

I am also not in your school, but agree with Amber. I suspect that a mid or high impact would be perfectly suitable (rather than the professional impact level which are the most expensive) for the kind of sports done in your average secondary school. Unless your child is particularly prone to losing things, my boys, who play rugby 4 or 5 times a week only have one mouthguard each, professionally fitted (ds1 by a company that came into school and ds2 by our friendly dentist) and they have lasted 2 years. (We always have a boil cheapo as a spare one.) They are fine if fitted professionally, if your child then loses a milk tooth, as they fit snugly over enough of the other ones but as ds1 has had his two years in Sept, we are expecting that we may need to have another one this year, as his mouth is likely to have grown and changed shape. They are worth the extra money, as losing an adult tooth in sport, at this age can be devastating.

[mike1880]

Also not at your school...I think if you check the Opro website they have some recommendations on which grade for which sport, as far as I remember it's medium impact for rugby and high for hockey but don't take my word for it.

I think boys at GS/indie are pretty certain to do rugby in Y7 but for girls in particular it's worth being extremely sure what sports your child will actually do. I shelled out for a heavy duty mouthguard for daughter in Y7 and as the year progressed it transpired that they didn't do any hockey in Y7 at all (in fact I'm not sure they've EVER done any ).

[stroudydad]

Also not in your school but the whole family, (aged 6 to 40) use mouth guards at least twice a week. I would like to agree, a putty fitted mouthguards is always better than a boil and bite... We have had dentist ones, school fitted ones, home impression kit ones and boil and bite. There is only one specific type of boil and bite I would ever let my children wear. The troubles with boil and bite are that they tend to be harder to mould well, and are bulkier in the mouth when used. We use the brand named above for fitted mouthguards, they are excellent, the customer service is second to none, but they obviously are pricier than some.. The fit from the home impression kit is as good as the dentist fitted one I had before.
Type & design has pros and cons it's personal choice.. Happy to pm if you want more info.

[ish]

Thanks Amber, Kenyancowgirl, Mike1880 & Stroudydad for your inputs.