DIY: Mouth Guard
There is one piece of protective equipment nearly all athletes use: a mouth guard. Mouth guards can help protect your teeth from a flying baseball or an unexpected punch. They also stabilize jaw alignment when fitted properly. To use the mouth guard, you should have a relaxed jaw until you think you'll need protection, then clench down hard. Refrain from biting the mouth guard the entire duration of the sporting event, as this will fatigue jaw muscles.
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Instructions
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1
Locate a large bowl and put cold water into it. Move it to a convenient place, as you will use it later.
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2
Find a sauce pan and fill it full of water. Heat the water so it comes to a boil. Once boiling, remove from stove.
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3
Grip your mouth guard with a pair of metal tongs and dip the mouth guard in the water for 30 seconds. Make sure the entire piece is under the boiled water. After 30 seconds, dip the mouth guard in the bowl of cold water. Again make sure the entire piece is under the cold water. Hold under the cold water for only 2-3 seconds.
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4
Put your now cooled mouth guard in your mouth gently. Be cognizant of the temperature of the mouth guard. If its not too hot, move to Step 5.
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5
Bite down hard on the mouth guard. While you are biting, simultaneously start sucking out water. There will be a bit of cold water left over from the bowl. Continue the biting and sucking of the mouth guard for two minutes.
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6
Place the mouth guard back in the bowl of cold water for five minutes. Be careful when placing the the mouth guard back in the bowl of cold water. The mouth guard retains the shape of your teeth and jaw. You won't want to alter it before it cools. Once it cools, you may use the mouth guard.
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Tips & Warnings
Different mouth guards have different densities. If you will have a lot of contact to your mouth, you should use a mouth guard with a thick density. If your sport only involves minimal mouth contact, you may use a thinner density mouth guard.
Be careful when submerging the mouth guard in the boiling water. Using long metal tongs will keep your hand safely away from the boiling water.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit punch. image by Catabu from Fotolia.com
