rugby mouthguards
Moderators: Section Moderators, Forum Moderators
rugby mouthguards
Does anyone have an opinion on opro mouthguards v. shockdoctor. My eldest uses shock doctor for hockey and finds it more comfortable than the more basic models I have bought in the past, but I have just received a leaflet from the school for opro shields. If you think the opro are the best would you recommend the self-fit range or the direct impression system. Any opinions (especially from experienced users or parents)?
Hi loulou
My DC have both had opro shields in the past. They had impressions taken at school. My daughter has refused to have it done again - they are in a real hurry as they have so many kids to get through so they just shove it in and she wasn't ready for it. She now uses shock doc which we don't have any problems with. My son had to have three lots of impressions taken as the first two cracked as they took them out of his mouth. On the third attempt he was physically sick.
I'm not really sure about the comparative levels of protection but from a fitting and comfort point of view we go for the shock doc. Also, if they are still losing teeth, it's much cheaper and easier to replace a schock doc.
Hope this helps
My DC have both had opro shields in the past. They had impressions taken at school. My daughter has refused to have it done again - they are in a real hurry as they have so many kids to get through so they just shove it in and she wasn't ready for it. She now uses shock doc which we don't have any problems with. My son had to have three lots of impressions taken as the first two cracked as they took them out of his mouth. On the third attempt he was physically sick.
I'm not really sure about the comparative levels of protection but from a fitting and comfort point of view we go for the shock doc. Also, if they are still losing teeth, it's much cheaper and easier to replace a schock doc.
Hope this helps
I spent upwards of £20 3 years ago on the boil and bite type mouthguards for DS when he started contact club rugby. This included a more expensive shockdoctor. None worked mostly falling out and not fiiting well. I tried various things including trying to remould, re carve bits etc. In the end I got an O-Pro one fitted at a club session. The moulding was no problem. They don't actually need more than 30 secs to do it anyway. The dentist they used had fitted the Scottish team the week before and the Lion tour so they know what they are doing. I gave my son the choice of design and colour so it was "his". Initially it was out more than in bit after a couple of weeks it was second nature. Now he's on his third one and they fit so well he can talk and shout with it in (and eat come to think of it sometimes!) which is important in a game. Any missing teeth they leave gaps to accommodate for this. That perhaps doesn't help if a tooth is lost once the mouthguard is fitted bit so far it has not been an issue. So from my perspective I'd rather spend the money than risk his teeth and for me O-Pro has been the best for his mouth. Loads of the kids at the rugby club have had them done and seem to get on fine. Conversely there will alsoways be loads with the cheaper type so you pays yer money... If it is anything like the clubs the school won't get much back from O-Pro. It tends to be £1-£2 credit per guard towards purchases from the O-Pro sports equipment store.
mouthguards
If your child doeas not lose things often go for the more expensive - but, all my four got through around at least two mouthguards per season so we always opted for the cheaper, hassle-free sort.
Thanks for the useful comments. I notice that opro suggest that a new mouthguard should be fitted annually for growing children which has cost implications - not that I think you can put a price on teeth. I'm not sure if the school do fittings on site (Opro seem to do a system that allows you to take your own dental impression at home) so I think I'll wait until the new parents evening to see if further info is forthcoming before making a final decision. Thanks again
loulou
loulou
They come along normally and do everyone in a conveyor belt system. The home systems are generally more for when you've missed or can't make the dentist visit. O-Pro are actually very local anyway being based in Welham green near Hatfield so they may have some flexibility. If you buy another at the same time i.e. same fit you get it quite a bit cheaper. though I've preferred the "fear of god" and "taking it off him" asap approach as a cheaper way of preventing lossloulou wrote:Thanks for the useful comments. I notice that opro suggest that a new mouthguard should be fitted annually for growing children which has cost implications - not that I think you can put a price on teeth. I'm not sure if the school do fittings on site (Opro seem to do a system that allows you to take your own dental impression at home) so I think I'll wait until the new parents evening to see if further info is forthcoming before making a final decision. Thanks again
loulou
This has been an interesting discussion. My son plays club rugby (u-15s) and just has a boil inthe bag type one, He is even less intelligible wearing it than normal. I hadn't heard of these mouthguards, are they available nationally?
I agree you can't put a value on teeth and I wince every time he launches himself at someone!
I agree you can't put a value on teeth and I wince every time he launches himself at someone!