But, like most inventions, mouthguards were created out of necessity. In fact, one pugilistic sport is responsible for getting mouthguards off the ground, and helping other protect their teeth in times of peril.
To protect their teeth, boxers would bite down on pieces of wood, sponges, wool or tape to protect their teeth from rattling against each other. These early mouthguards worked to a degree, but were problematic because boxers had to actively clench their teeth against them for them to be effective.
This exhausted their jaws and made it difficult to focus on fighting. Lilyquist, used transparent acrylic resin to form the first acrylic splint and the mouthguard was molded to fit over the upper and lower teeth which made it much less noticeable and more comfortable to wear. Basketball and football players began to wear this design which gave the mouthguard some exposure.
During the s the American Dental Association ADA started researching mouthguards and promoted their benefits to the public. By the ADA recommended the use of latex mouthguards in all contact sports and by all high school football players in the U. Since the promotion of mouthguards the number of dental injuries have dramatically decreased.
Today, mouthguards are a common feature in many sports. The Australian Dental Association recommends that anybody of any age playing a sport where there may be a risk of a blow to the face, should be wearing a mouthguard. Pacifier mouthpieces are one of the oldest pieces of football equipment and protective gear. Another interesting note was that the apparatus was designed to attach to the chin strap of the helmet as players were still using helmets without face masks.
Another purpose of the invention of the Pacifier Mouthpiece was so the player could easily spit it out of his mouth, after the end of each play when the potential for contact was over. All these benefits of Pacifier Mouthpieces are still applicable today. His invention was picked up by the American Dental Association ADA , which led to national recognition of mouthguard use in all sports, especially football.
The beginning on 's US dentists brought a new phase of evolution with development of technology of fabricating high-heat and pressure-laminated mouthguards made out of ethyl vinyl acetate EVA dental plastic. By the end of the 20th century, companies were starting to invent different types of mouthguards with thermo-plastics which led to the invention of the boil-and-bite.
The next step in the history of mouthguards? With it's modern design and high-tech approach to safety, SISU Guards offer the player the best custom-fit solution: all the protection with none of the bulk. What's next on the mouthguard horizon? In our labs, we are working on the prototype of a responsive mouthguard through a National Science Foundation grant. Wearable technology is also fighting to get into the mouthguard scene. With promising new developments, there is a potential to solve the problem of impact tracking during collisions.
But the design is far from perfect and the data is still infantile in it's development. Who will be the champion of the next generation of mouthguards?
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