Gumguards - is it really possible to get ones which don't hurt?

[BrightGoldenHazeintheMeadow]

My 11 year old needs one for sports at school. We tried various ones in her primary school - they always hurt to start with - understandably - but continued to hurt. We even had her measured by Opro - at extortionate cost - and that still hurt her, to the point of bleeding gums. Are we doing something wrong? Any suggestions as to what we should do? Maybe I have to accept that dd has a strangely shaped mouth?? Thanks.

I play rugby, and have mine custom-made at the dentist, where they take impressions.

I pay £40 for mine (but that's 'mates' rates', as one of my team mates is a dentist!), but I think the going rate is about £60.

I know that's quite pricey, but I think it's worth it: it's very important that mouth guards fit correctly, as they help prevent concussion in the event of a head knock, as well as protecting the teeth and jaw. Also, if your daughter's guard is uncomfortable, then she'll be disinclined to wear it.

If that's a bit of a stretch, I think there are some 'warm to fit' guards on the market, where you drop them into warm water to soften them, then wear them for a few hours to help them 'set' for a more custom fit - I've never used one, but hopefully somebody on this thread will be able to advise.

My DC aged 11 and 9 use the warm to fit ones. I think they were less than 10 quid each, Amazon. Teeth are changing relatively quickly at those ages so they get replaced every 3 months or so when they start being uncomfortable.

You only wear them for 10 minutes to set them, they go rigid pretty quickly when cool.

I definitely recommend the custom made dentist ones, the difference in comfort is like night and day, plus much better protection. Well worth the money (although getting the impressions taken is not much fun!)