Contact sport injuries are back in the news, but the best way to protect yourself while in full-contact and combat sports is to ensure that your mouthguard is custom-designed for your mouth and fits snugly.

The Anthony Joshua vs Jake Paul boxing fight led to the latter breaking his jaw in two places, according to the BBC, following an extremely powerful and accurate right-handed punch directly to the chin.

What has been talked about rather less in the weeks since the brutal knockout punch is how his mouthguard may have helped reduce the impact and prevented an even more serious and complicated injury.

In general, mouthguards help to minimise injuries by spreading the impact of a contact blow throughout the mouth and face, lowering the trauma at the point of contact and keeping the peak forces affecting the jaw at a lower level.

In many cases, this is enough to prevent serious or more serious injuries by minimising the impact in specific areas, similar to a crumple zone in a car, as well as using soft materials to absorb shocks, provide cushions and keep your mouth, teeth and gums in place.

What Injuries Can Mouthguards Prevent?

• Chipped teeth, by keeping teeth firmly in place and providing a physical shield.
• Knocked out teeth, by firmly keeping them in place.
• Tooth pulp damage, by dispersing forces and cushioning gums.
• Fractures to the jaw, by spreading the impact across the whole of the face and body.
• Orthodontic damage, through specially designed custom-fit pieces that cover the brace.

Why Do You Need A Custom Mouthguard?

What matters as much as having a mouthguard is ensuring that you have the right type of mouthguard, as stock devices and low-quality “boil-and-bite” mouthguards may not be enough to protect your teeth.

The better designed your mouthguard, the better it will fit and the more effective it will be at diffusing forces around the mouth.