Damage Control Constructs Alistair Overeem Two Custom Mouth Guards with Two Powerful Technologies

Oral injuries can happen even while wearing a mouth guard. Incidents like these occur when impact forces far exceed the protective capabilities of a mouth guard. In spite of this reality, however, there are still mouth guards that have more protective capabilities to prevent oral injuries than others. To have the most protective mouth guard, you must have it manufactured in such a way to withstand the highest of impacts. The benefits of buying a custom mouth guard from Damage Control is that each custom mouth guard is hand fabricated; therefore, each mouth guard can be tailored to an athlete’s sport in an attempt to have the most protection while having the best fit and greatest breathability. In the fabrication process intuition may tell you a more protective mouth guard is to be fabricated as thick as possible for athletes that have a higher probability of encountering high impacts to the oral region (i.e. Boxers, Kick Boxers, MMA Athletes, Bull Riders, and Hockey Players). However, multiple studies have shown that there are diminishing returns on protective value the thicker the mouth guard is fabricated. Many mouth guard companies, probably oblivious to this fact,  continue to make mouth guards that are too thick, and cause breath obstruction which can prevent athletes from competing at their optimal performance levels. 

Through scientific research, literature research, and feedback from professional athletes, Damage Control has found better and innovative ways to construct protective custom mouth guards without compromising an athletes comfort or breathability. As a result of literature studies, and laboratory studies, Damage Control  now incorporates two technologies which can purchased through Damage Control’s online store. 

These two new technologies are what Damage Control calls the HXC™ Custom Mouth Guard and the DamproBand™ Custom Mouth guard. 

Damage Control's HXC™ Mouth Guard can be added for and additional $50. The HXC™ Mouth Guard, also known as our “hardcore mouth guard” has a hard resin center.  A study done at a University in Germany showed that adding this hard resin center into a custom mouth guard increases protective attributes by 43% when compared to custom mouth guards that did not have the hard resin center. Refer to our previous blog for more information on this technology. 

The DamproBand™ Mouth Guard can be added to any of Damage Control’s custom mouth guards for $30. The DamproBand™ Mouth Guard is a custom mouth guard in which dispersion bands are built into the mouth guard. These bands act as a roll bar for your teeth and help disperse impact forces away from your front teeth to your back teeth. Furthermore, these bands are made out of Damage Control’s own high shock absorbing Damprotech™ technology. The importance of dispersing the energy away from your front teeth and to the back teeth, is that the back teeth are stronger, for they have larger roots than your front teeth.  If you can disperse the energy away from the front teeth, this highly reduces the chances of injury, for your front teeth have smaller roots and are more susceptible to being knocked out.  Studies show that 90% of tooth injuries happen to the front teeth.

UFC's number one ranked heavyweight Alistair Overeem came into Damage Control Mouthguards looking for a better custom mouth guard.  The problem he had with his past custom mouth guards were that they were too thick for his mouth, and obstructed his breathing.  As a result of this issue, he wanted us to make the thinnest possible mouth guard for him.  Damage Control's Lab Technicians could not in good conscience make him as thin of a mouth guard that he wanted, as Damage Control is in the protection business, and we know that a very thin mouth guard will not protect any MMA fighter much less a heavy weight like Overeem  who is taking the hardest of punches out of all weight divisions. Damage Control’s solution for Overeem was to fabricate a DamproBand™ Custom Mouth Guard and an HXC™ Custom Mouth Guard. Overeem now has low profile mouth guards with protective technologies built into them giving him the protection needed to compete at the highest levels while providing the greatest fit and maximum breathability.