A Reminder to all our High School Varsity & Jr Varsity Athlete Patients:
Be sure to let Dr Portnoy know when you come in for your cleaning appointment if you would like to participate in one of the mouthguard evaluation programs we run throughout the year 2017 & 2018 as we are expanding our projects.
You must at least have eruption of your second molars to participate with your parents OK. Our best results do not occur til about 16 1/2 years of age.
The primary function of mouthguards is to protect your teeth and prevent oro-facial injuries.
We are looking to see if after you have trained and prepared yourself for the upcoming sports season whether one of our mouth devices might improve your performance by 1-3-5% besides making you safer.
We are cognizant that published research validates that mouth devices do not enhance athletic performance or strength but don't impede performance either.
We want to be perfectly clear MOUTHGUARDS DO NOT PREVENT CONCUSSIONS,
but we believe if we are making you a mouthguards that it would be remiss not to incorporate current concussion prevention theory as it doesn't make sense not to do it.
THEORIES AS TO WHY MOUTHGUARDS MAY HELP:
1. DISSIPATION OF FORCES IN AN UPWARD BLOW TO THE CHIN
2. INCREASED SEPARATION OF THE HEAD OF THE CONDYLE IN THE GLENOID FOSSA
3. INCREADED STABILIZATION BY ACTIVATING AND STRENGTHENING THE NECK MUSCLES
4. DESIGNED WITH UNIFORM THICKNESS AND BALANCED OCCLUSION WITH MAXIMUM OCCLUSAL COVERAGE
"If you have had a concussion please let Dr P know ASAP. Our 16 1/2 yo rule does not apply in these cases"!!!!!!!
We can always use patient volunteers still for:
Ice Hockey - We need you to further confirm what we have learned from our previous data already.
"If you have had a concussion please let Dr P know ASAP. Our 16 1/2 yo rule does not apply in these cases"!!!!!!!
Field Hockey - Lacrosse- We need you to further confirm what we have learned from our previous data already. Specifically, since you run 3-5 miles during the game we'd like to compared your stamina and endurance issues with and without mouthguards
Basketball - 1. We want to see if we can just get you to wear a mouthguard in basketball at the high school level especially where you have the choice not to!
2. We need you to help us in our new Basketball project starting after Thanksgiving 2017 evaluating the mouthpiece as the only variable if we can improve the vertical leaping abiltiy confirmed by utilizing our new Tandem Vertical Challenger Jump Tester.
Soccer - We need you to help give us data on if you would even consider to wear a mouthguard. Specifically, since you run 3-5 miles during the game we'd like to compared your stamina and endurance issues with and without mouthguards.
Baseball & Softball - We need you to give us data if we can attian better balance, muscle contraction, firmer bat grip strength, possible increase in pitching velocity may occur and what affect it could have with your on-the-field play.
Track & Field - Cross Country - We need some data on improving your fatigue resistance issue. Specifically, if you run distances greater than 1 mile or more, we'd like to compared your stamina and endurance issues with and without mouthguards
Football - We need some data on if we in fact can improve your neck muscle contraction as a direct result of how we are equilibrating the mouthguards or does it matter at all.
We want to be perfectly clear MOUTHGUARDS DO NOT PREVENT CONCUSSIONS,
but we believe if we are making you a mouthguards that it would be remiss not to incorporate current concussion prevention theory as it doesn't make sense not to do it.
"If you have had a concussion please let Dr P know ASAP. Our 16 1/2 yo rule does not apply in these cases"!!!!!!!
We also are glad to help you boil and mold any Boil/Bite mouthguards you are having trouble fitting at home. Let us know so we can help.
Thanks,
Dr Portnoy
