Do your children use a gum shield?

What everyone else said: a 'must' for rugby and hockey.

On the OPRO v boil'n'bite debate: imagine shelling out £25-30 for a gumshield and then they go and lose the darn thing within a month ..

DD's in primary school but from Y5 they have to have a gum shield for hockey. We also just use the boil and bite type ones for now - when she is older and her teeth more settled we will look at dearer orthodonist ones.

Hockey. My dd's out-of-school team requires them.

We got very frustrated trying to get the cheapest £1.50 Sports Direct boil and bite ones fitted, despite involving several friends and buying five of them! Dunno what we were doing wrong. Then tried the slightly more expensive ones from Sports Direct which were about £8 and had no difficulty with those. You do have to remould them regularly as the child's teeth change and will probably need a new one each year regardless.

I never would have managed to get dd to wear it if it weren't compulsory.

Hockey & Rugby, and we get the boil and bite £10 ones too.

Wearing one is compulsory for both sports both in and out of school.

Compulsory at dc's schools (Rugby, Hockey, Lacrosse, our dentist would even like them used for Cricket and Rounders). I'm having a Boil'n'Bite vs. Opro dilemma atm

I remember back in the olden days, one of the girls getting 3 of her front teeth smashed out in a game of hockey. It didn't help that the one wielding the hockey stick had forgotten you're not supposed to have the stick above your shoulder
Anyway if gum shields protect your teeth they sound like a fab idea.

DS has had to have one from year 3 at primary for rugby and hockey - they're not allowed to play without them. So I think its a good idea.

They get measured at school and think its about £25-30 from memory.

My DS starts rugby with his school when he starts year 7 in September. I went to Sports Direct and got him one for £2.00. I had no idea they were dearer than that.

Do you think I should invest in something more expensive?????

DS plays hockey at school. They are expected to have both a mouth guard and shin guards and if either are missing they don't play that day.

I am not entirely sure what has changed since I (reluctantly) played hockey at school in the 1970's, when we were expected to survive with no greater protection than a thick pair of knitted socks. I certainly don't ever remember anyone getting injured, other than the excema from the wool socks...And having an incredibly strong gag reflex to anything in my mouth, I certainly wouldn't have coped with a mouth guard.

To DS great regret (he is about as keen on hockey as I was) if he forgets his kit more than twice there is an automatic detention. So far he is of the opinion that PE is (just) preferable to detention, but this may change.

Thanks for making me think about this - have just asked DS's grammar school whether he will need one although they are more of a footballing than rugby school.

As said before - rugby and hockey, although they played competitively as well as at school. The boil and bite ones are fine until they're older.

Ds is about to go into Yr8 and has never needed a gum shield.

My DS's have used one for rugby since he was 8. We used to buy it through Opro who came to the school and took an impression and charged us upwards of £30+ for the guard which by the time it had arrived and the rugby season started no longer fitted properly. A few years ago DS 2 knocked out his front adulr tooth in a freak unsports related accident and now has a tempory tooth which can easily get knocked off. A dentist we saw last year couldn't believe I was "wasting my money on an Opro specially fitted gum shield" he apparently wouldn't get them for his children and advised me to buy one in a local sports shop and fit it my self for at least half the price. Since then we buy a fit it yourself Opro aimed at boxers so completely over the top for rugby to protect said tooth and it has never fallen off again!!
Theyre easy to fit and if just for rugby and you have no teeth problems I believe cost less than £10.

Hockey and rugby.

Schools both have a 'no mouthguard, no play' policy.

DCs have boil and bite mouth guards. I'll upgrade to fully fitted when their dentition is no longer mobile.