mouth guards does anybody use them?

[keithster]

yesterday I had an accident in which I hit a van that was waiting at a stop sign. I was wearing a helmet and eye protection, but that did little to protect me as I hit it with my face. I went out today and got a mouth guard to protect my teeth, but found that It is too difficult to breath with the guard in place and also find that it gags me. does anyone know of a cycling specific mouth guard?

[big fellow]

keith

i have never heard of anyone using a mouthguard cycling, so i'd say that there would not be any cycling specific ones available

i would say it takes time to get used to it - i play water polo with a mouth guard and it's no drama, you can breathe, talk with in easily

just take some rides to get used to it!

[mattpage]

The mouthguards I know are made by O-Pro (or a simialr sounding name - i forget it)
They have to be moulded by a dentist, but give a completly accurate fit and have gaps to allow you to breath quite well. Not seen anyone cycling with one, but they are good for other sports like Hockey and Rugby.

[andyrr]

Wearing a mouthguard seems a little excessive ?
Falling off a bike tends to, far more frequently, result in arm or shoulder injuries (such as collar bone) : you don't see many riders wearing shoulder padding ? Lycra doesn't offer much in the way of protection but the benefits of such wearing such thin clothing for most riders seems to outweigh the potential negatives so it's a case of riding relatively sensibly with awareness of your surroundings.
Can't see any mouthguard that isn't going ot restrict your breathing actually giving much real protection : you often see rugby players with them hanging out of their mouth given any opportunity with a break in play - illustration I think that there is a feeling of 'restriction' when wearing one.

[Tippster]

seems a tad excessive to me.

maybe people thought the same when others suggested cycling helmets though...

[keithster]

It does seem excessive till you have to fork out for dental bills that could have been prevented. I'm going to the dentist now to get my tooth fixed,

I think that every cyclist should wear a helmet, gloves and glasses.
A mouth guard is something that I'm trying out, and haven't been successful with, but spending $30 to save your teeth... I'm probably looking at a $200 dental bill- it is definitely worth finding something that works.

[ShinyBaldy]

It does seem excessive till you have to fork out for dental bills that could have been prevented. I'm going to the dentist now to get my tooth fixed,

I think that every cyclist should wear a helmet, gloves and glasses.
A mouth guard is something that I'm trying out, and haven't been successful with, but spending $30 to save your teeth... I'm probably looking at a $200 dental bill- it is definitely worth finding something that works.

there are some theroset mouthguards that football players can buy in the US... there are several manufacturers approved by the regulatory agency (the name escapes me but its in a textbook I have for kinesiology). You sit it in boiling water, bite it, then stablizes with cold water.

[Boonen]

It does seem excessive till you have to fork out for dental bills that could have been prevented. I'm going to the dentist now to get my tooth fixed,

I think that every cyclist should wear a helmet, gloves and glasses.
A mouth guard is something that I'm trying out, and haven't been successful with, but spending $30 to save your teeth... I'm probably looking at a $200 dental bill- it is definitely worth finding something that works.

I had a friend who headed the hood of a car this winter and it knocked out a few of his teeth and made him look like a mess. He had a 5 figured dental bill (insurance paid), but he still doesn't ride with mouthgear.
I think it is just too impractical. In football or hockey you don't have maximum efforts for very long times, so you can catch your breath if the play is on the other side of the field. I did some boxing when in highschool, but the mouthpieces we had back then weren't very nice and I wouldn't like to have them in my mouth for hours at a time.
Cycling can be much more intense and I would imagine it beïng very hard to breath with a mouthpiece in at maximum effort fx. on a long climb.

I can't agree more with you on the helmet. I ALWAYS wear a helmet and have told many of my riding buddy's I think they should as well. I buy a new top of the line helmet every year or when I crash on it I send it in for replacement (I have a nice collection at home ) A helmet doesn't interfere with you riding your bike, if you are used to it you won't even notice it beïng there. It is just like seatbelts in a car, you only notice it when you forget to get them on before you start.

[John979]

How about a full-face helmet?

[smallfish101]

How about a full-face helmet?

...and a seatbelt.

[curlymcbird]

I had trouble playing soccer with a mouthguard, i very much doubt that it would be very practical to use one while riding, just dont run into cars!! , its a mistake you usually dont make twice

[keithster]

thanks curly I'll try not to.
I think that a full face helmet would be a better option to a mouth guard
that being said, I should also stop gawking at the pretty ladies that pass by, saw a guy crack up his car that way.
June is our most busy season of the year and that requires us to work long hours to keep up to demand, I was easly working 80+ hours that week, and the week after I worked somewhere around 98 hours. when you work that many hours, you don't see a lot of things that you normally would. thinking back on things, I may have dosed for half a second before hitting the van. the dental bill only costed $150 which is not too bad, but I don't want to spend that again. here on in I will replace my helmet every year, and I buy the best

about a week or two after my accident, a buddy of mine was killed when a tent he was dismantling hit a power line. he was out to midnight the night before working and likely was pushing 70 hours in 5 days, while they should have seen the line you don't notice that stuff when you are really tired.