Instituting a mouthguard program in your office is one of the best ways to build your practice. Pick a sport and pick a team!

I offered to make a mouthguard for all the kids on my son’s Little League Team. I did it as a charitable donation, absorbed the costs and took the tax write off. It was the best money I ever spent. Half of the team and their families became my patients!

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Develop a regular mouthguard program/protocol in your office. It’s essentially not any different from any other system you might develop for regular assessment and treatment.

SCREEN the patient for involvement in sports or activities

DISCUSS the potential need for using a mouthguard for protection and inform the patient of available options

PERFORM AN INTRA-ORAL EXAM and take impressions of the upper and lower arch, making sure to record the vestibular and palatal extensions completely. Pour the impressions in a hard stone, and check them for accuracy.

TAKE AN ACCURATE BITE REGISTRATION at the desired horizontal and vertical relationship. The mouthguard will reproduce this relationship, allowing you to achieve a constant occlusal separation while maintaining the proper occlusal balance necessary for concussion prevention.

SEND MODELS AND BITE TO SML with specific design instructions. Be sure to carefully wrap each piece separately.

DELIVER TO PATIENT and provide guidance for wear, cleaning and storage of the appliance.

REPLACE MOUTHGUARD every six months and establish a time sequence for regular replacement