Mouthguard Mastery – How to Make Mouthguards

Specifications: 74 internal pages, full color PDF. Includes illustrated diagrams, charts and graphs.

Executive Summary

Make the Most Protective Mouthguards Ever Tested

The focus of this manual is to give you the knowledge to make better mouthguards. Mouthguards that have more protection are more comfortable and give more choice. That is, choice not only in terms of the most appropriate protection for the sport being played and other technical factors, but more choice in features that will make your mouthguards more exciting, more attractive and more desirable.

Many claims have been made and are still being made about the protection provided by specific mouthguards. However, it is a rarity for these claims to be supported by independent test results and therefore, in this manual we will work with designs that are supported by the results of independent University tests.

Contents

Executive Summary

• Make the Most Protective Mouthguards Ever Tested
• Are You Absolutely Sure the Mouthguards You Supply are as Protective as They Need to Be?
• Mouthguard Protection – The Facts
• Dentists’ Attitudes Towards Mouthguard Protection
• Frequency of Trauma in Children

The Technical Foundation for High Protection Mouthguards

• Review of Mouthguard Research and Testing
• Mouthguard Types
• Research Proves Custom Laminating Provides Greater Protection
  1. The Positive Effect of Laminating
  2. Comparative Protective Properties of Laminated Mouthguards
  3. Path of Impact Through the Upper Dental Arch
• Reduced Bulk Triple Laminate Mouthguard
• Air Cell Mouthguards
• Fit and Retention
• References

Modern Mouthguard Design

• 5 Essential Rules
• The Ideal Mouthguard
• Materials Required for Custom Laminating
• Guide to the Minimum Levels of Protection for 46 Sports
• Critical Dimension Guide
• What is Wrong With Reinforcing That Does Not Go as Far as the First or Second Molars?
• The Practical Advantages and Disadvantages of Forming a Thicker Layer First

Setting Up For Success

• 5 Requirements For Easy Custom Laminating

The Best Equipment to Build Mouthguards

• Why Are Rapid High-Vacuum Reservoir Machines Ideal for 90% of Practices?
• More Important Information About Heating

How To Instantly Know The Difference Between Good And Bad Mouthguard Materials

• The Secrets Other Experts Can’t or Won’t Tell You
• Easy to Use Materials Will Save You Time and Money and Reduce Remakes
• Why Are Your Mouthguards Too Thin?
• Why All One Layer Mouthguards are Weakest at the Incisal
• What Else Will Help You Make Better Mouthguards?
• Specification for a Benchmark Mouthguard Material
• Harder EVAs May Give 70% More Protection With a Single Piece of Material Even Over Orthodontic Bands
• Summary

The Instruments You Need

How to Make High Comfort, High Protection Custom Laminated Mouthguards

• Preparing Models For The Best Results

Creating a Great High Shine on the Fitting Surface

Laminating Mouthguards – Basic Technique

• Is it Safe to Use Chloroform or Trichloroethylene to Polish Mouthguards?

Bonding a Hard Layer for Super Heavy Impact Protection

• Additional instruments and materials

Adding Impact Dispersion Bands for a Heavy Impact Mouthguard

• Additional equipment and materials

Using an Occludator

New Options for Orthodontic Patients

• Lingual Reinforcing
• Use an EVA with a High Shore A Hardness
• Lower Arch Protection

Fabricating Bimaxillary Mouthguards

• Bonding by Hand
• Using an Occludator Attachment with a Rapid High Vacuum Thermoforming Machine
• Waxing Up and Flasking

Using Graphics to Sell Mouthguards

How to Make Multi-colour Mouthguard Foils

• Equipment and Materials
• Technique

Quality Control and Patient Instruction

• Simple 8 Step Checking Procedure
• Patient Care Instructions

Trouble Shooting

• The Mouthguard Has Delaminated
• The Mouthguard Has Not Bonded Around the Periphery
• Eliminating Trapped Air
• Eliminating Bubbles When Forming the Occlusal Table
• The Labial Surface is Too Thin
• The Whole Mouthguard is Too Thin
• The Colours on Multicoloured Foils Slump Differently
• Coloured Mouthguard Materials Leave a Stain on the Model
• Forming Over a Mounted, High or Uneven Model
• I Don’t Have a Model Trimmer
• Obtaining a More Vibrant Finish
• The Model Goes Black When Polishing the Mouthguard with a Flame or a Hot Air Pen

Frequently Asked Questions

• To Ensure a Good Bond When Laminating is it Necessary to Also Heat the Surface of the First Layer?
• Can a Custom Laminated Mouthguard be Adjusted?
• What are the Advantages of Granules and How Should They be Used?
• Is a Post Dam Necessary?
• Why is Model Preparation So Important?
• Can Harder EVA’s (With a Shore a Hardeness of 95) Be Custom Laminated?
• Can Vacuum Machines Achieve Sufficient Bond Strength to Laminate Mouthguards?

Appendices

• Appendix A: Submission to national health and medical research council committee on football injuries of the head and neck
• Appendix B: Testing the Bond Strengths of Mouthguard Materials Laminated with Pressure and Vacuum Machines
• Appendix C: References
• Appendix D: Development of Custom Laminated Mouthguards – A Chronology