How to Mold a Mouthguard

How to Mold a Mouthpiece

In football and any other contact sport, a mouth guard is an essential piece of athletic gear. When properly fitted, a mouth guard not only protects your teeth but also has the ability to improve performance.

Is Proper Mouthguard Fitting Important?

Properly fitting your mouth guard is crucial for getting the best protection possible. When a mouthguard fits well, it will reduce impact to the teeth.
In fact, the American Dental Association recommends that a mouthguard should be a standard part of an athlete’s equipment bag.

Mouthguard Fitting Guide

An ill-fitting and uncomfortable guard not only provides bad protection but also diminishes the athletes' "on-field" performance. In all cases, a well-designed and properly fitted mouth guard will provide more comfort and protection which will increase the players performance in the sport.

To help you get the most of out of your mouthguard, please follow our easy fitting instructions below on how to perfectly mold a mouthguard to your teeth.

Items you need to mold a mouthguard:

• Pot of boiling water
• Timer
• Wooden or plastic spoon
• Boil of cold water
• Mouth guard

Step 1: Place the mouthguard in the boiling water

Bring approximately 5 inches of water to a boil in a pot. Once water begins to boil, turn the heat element of the stove off and let the boiled water cool for 30 seconds.
Follow the instructions that came with your mouthguard and submerge the guard in the correct orientation and for the right amount of time.

In general, you should keep an eye on your mouthguard and remove it once you see it get soft, but not to the point where it starts deforming or melting.

Step 2: Remove the mouthguard from the boiling water and place in cool water

Using a wood or plastic spoon, carefully remove the mouthguard from the boiled water and place it in a bowl of cold water to let it cool enough not to burn your mouth.

Insert the guard into your mouth using your fingers and start by adjusting the guard against your upper front teeth. Then, push the guard up and back against your molars by pressing with your thumbs.

Once the guard is pushed against your front and back teeth, firmly bite against your bottom teeth and suck the guard against your top teeth. Next, with your tongue, press against the roof of your mouth to create a tight vacuum affect between the guard and your upper teeth.

This fitting process should take 15 to 20 seconds and will allow the guard to tightly mold to your teeth creating the perfect custom fit.

Step 3: Place the mouthguard in cool water

The final step involves placing your mouthguard in cool water so it can harden and maintain its customized shape. It's important to follow the fitting instructions that came with the mouthguard as cooling times will differ between mouthguard designs.

When cooling, do not let the edges of the mouth guard curl over. We recommend keeping an eye on the guard for a few minutes and testing the fit once the process is done and the guard feels solid.

If the molding process was well completed, the guard should hold tight against your top teeth without having to use your tongue to hold it there. On the other hand, if your guard does not fit well, we recommend you repeat steps 1 to 3.

By following the instructions on how to mold a mouthguard included in every Nxtrnd Mouthguard package, you will be able to get a custom fit that lasts every time. As time goes on, we recommend you inspect your mouthguard for tears, jagged edges or cuts and replace it as soon you see signs of significant use.

To learn how your mouthguard should fit and to find the model specifically designed for your sport, please click here.