If you have had braces to straighten your teeth, your orthodontist will have given you a teeth retainer to wear once the braces are removed, but how long do you need to wear it for? 

A properly fitted mouthguard can make contact sports considerably safer by reducing the risk of lacerations and even potentially the impacts of head trauma, but exactly how the rules and mouthpiece intersect varies considerably.

Besides being used to protect teeth, custom-fit mouthguards are being used in contact sports to help make them safer and reduce the long-term risks of harm associated with the game.

Whilst the use of custom-fit mouthguards in sports began with boxing, it has been rugby in recent years that has attempted to use adapted gumshields to help protect more than teeth.

Outside of sporting regulations and rules often requiring them, it is almost always a good idea to buy a high-quality mouthguard, as it not only helps to protect your teeth, but a snug bite can also potentially help to avoid serious injuries to the gums, jaw and even the head more broadly.

Over the past decade, a growing number of contact sports have focused on the benefits of using custom-fit mouthguards to not only help protect teeth and avoid blood injuries but also to research and minimise the effects of concussions.

One of the most essential pieces of protection in full-contact sports is also one of the smallest.

Any athlete participating in a contact sport is strongly recommended if not outright required to wear a mouthguard during competition.

In many sports, getting a custom fit mouthguard is a must. A boxer or a hockey goal-minder would be among the most obvious cases, while rugby union players often wear them to deal with the risk of oral injuries in tackles.

Ever since their development a century ago and gradual acceptance over the decades, mouthguards have revolutionised safety in sport and it is rare to find a full-contact sport where athletes do not wear a custom-fit mouthguard.