When you sign up for a contact sport such as football, boxing, ice hockey, and wrestling you know you need a mouth guard, but do you realize how important it is? Not just to protect your pearly whites. “Ninety percent of concussions resulting in unconsciousness are caused by impact to the lower jaw,” says Joe Manzo, president of Brain-Pad, a company that offers a new mouth guard with more absorption power.
Brain-Pad’s new piece, the 3XS professional model (available at Wal-Mart and other retailers for $34.95) uses a patented technology and dual-protection system that offers 40 percent more absorption power than comparable models. The 3XS is a dual arch, bi-molar mouth guard that stabilizes the jaw in a neutral position, creating a safety space at the base of the skull that reduces the risk of jaw impact concussions and TMJ injuries. Traditionally mouth guards just protected the upper or lower teeth, but not both. The 3XS also opens the airway in the throat 100 percent, which allows you to breathe better, which is crucial to any sport.