Review: Protech Dent Mouth Guard

5 of 5

Dimensions and molded example of Protech Dent Mouth Guard

Mouth guards suck, or at least they used to. They've always been so big and bulky, making it hard to talk, breathe, and making the whole derby experience more than a little drooly. And yet you've got to wear them if you want to keep your teeth. So I started looking for a better alternative to the options I was familiar with. I wanted a mouth guard that that would let me talk and drink— I was considering going to a dentist and getting something professional made. But I’m cheap, and I don’t like dentists...


So, after tons of online research I found just the thing. The Protech Dent mouth guards come flat, and are mold-able (and remold-able, if you screw it up you can flatten them out again) to exactly the shape of your teeth. I’ve gotten the fit on mine so tight that it “snaps” in place and I’ve got to give it a real good tug to get it out again.

You can drink with it, talk with it, I don’t have to take it out ever during derby practice. It’s the thinnest option out there too, so you don’t get monkey mouth. I’ve worn it for months and it’s been fantastic. They come in packs of 2, so if you're hard up for cash you can go in on it with a teammate.

And to lay your mind at rest a little, it works just as well as the standard (bulky) versions. Which I discovered first hand after taking a good kick to the head (literally!) that would have otherwise sent me searching for some new chompers.

One side note, if you've ever had something tight fitting on your teeth (like a retainer, or braces) you probably learned that your teeth are constantly moving. Seriously, forever... So if it's been awhile since you had your mouth guard in, you may feel it trying to pull your teeth into their previous positions. If it's been awhile since you wore it and it bugs you just re-mold it.

I think the test of any idea is whether other people accept it. Over the last 6 months or so–since I got mine–more and more of my league-mates have gotten them. And as of a few weeks ago, they're available at our local brick-and-mortar derby store (Fast Girl Skates).

Pros
• Thin: talk and drink with them in
• Easy to fit, and very secure
• Comes in a variety of colors
• As protective, if not more so, than the bulky ones
• Re-moldable

Cons
• A little spendy
• If you leave the white one in your bag unprotected it may start to absorb the colors from other things and you'll look like you've got nasty homeless people teeth.
• If you don't wear it awhile it can pull your teeth back to the position they were in when last you wore it.