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Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

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Original poster

Do your children use a gum shield?

40 replies

Lottie4 · 20/08/2012 12:25

If your children use a gum shield, which sports do they use them for?

My daughter's new school don't ask for them but the orthodonist has asked me to consider seriously whether I allow her to do sports in comprehensive school, and I'm wondering if a gum shield would get around some of the more risky sports rather than have her excluded. She's already lost the bottom four in an accident and the top four stick out and are separated but she can't have a brace yet.

OP posts:

1805 · 21/08/2012 09:08

Saracen - I meant their problem to fit it. According to their web site they can do something to accommodate growing teeth.

mermaid - oh dear. Good advice to check pockets!

Original poster

Lottie4 · 21/08/2012 10:22

Thanks for your replies everyone. I will get her one and do a letter for the PE teacher explaining she's already had an accident on the bottom teeth and given her top teeth are vulnerable (she can't close her mouth over them) I want her to wear one for the time being.

OP posts:

BigBoobiedBertha · 21/08/2012 10:30

DS1's school says that they are compulsory for anybody who plays on a team but not for anybody else. They can wear them but DS didn't for the whole of last year, even though I bought one, and was not told off.

They are probably a good idea as DH lost his 4 front bottom teeth playing rugby at 13 and has had to have a bridge every since which has to be fitted at a dental school because it is so unusual - if there is a problem with it it is a real faff. Can't imagine DS getting quite so stuck in as he terrible at sport (dyspraxic) and would shy away from any contact. I may try to persuade him again to give them a go.

prettydaisies · 21/08/2012 15:28

Rugby and hockey. Have always used the ones you fit yourself. You can get them to cover braces too. Daughter had one a few years ago. My son plays rugby at least 3 times a week and I usually end up getting two for the season as it's quite disgusting by christmas.

Lfs2126 · 22/08/2012 09:58

My son has an opro one fitted every year. Yes they are expensive but come with ID moulded in. I justify it by thinking what a pain it would be if dc had dental injury( time consuming and expensive also opro will adjust if necessary.( this happened to us & they sent a boil one gratis while waiting)

EMS23 · 22/08/2012 10:08

My DSS8 has a boil and bite for out of school rugby. Last week he didn't wear it and chipped his front bottom tooth. Lesson learned!!

Dentist said not to bother with fully fitted till all teeth are through, boil and bite is fine for now. I find it a faff to fit but he has to have it (especially now his rugby coach is using his chipped tooth as an example to the other kids that they must wear theirs!).

blackteaplease · 22/08/2012 10:09

Just asked dh. At his school they are compulsory for rugby and hockey. Kids aren't allowed to play without them.

Will your dd1 be playing these sports? If not i wouldn't bother as the risk of mouth damage is low from other sports .

Coconutty · 23/08/2012 17:11

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

2rebecca · 25/08/2012 15:15

Both use them for hockey, son also for rugby

Knowsabitabouteducation · 25/08/2012 20:59

They are needed for rugby and hockey.

We usually just get boil and bite. The one time I got one fitted by the dentist, DS lost it on its first outing. They never seem to lose the cheap ones.

If your child has braces, the orthodontist can provide a gum shield, as can OPRO.

Theas18 · 25/08/2012 21:42

Opro for ds, who is very into rugby and accident prone.I understand they hello protect against confusion a elk a dental injury. He would certainly have list teeth in a hockey ball to the face incident that rendered his lips so swollen that even drinking with a straw I'm the side of his mouth wad difficult for a couple of days, and he looked like a duck for over a week!

Dd2 has the most expensive boil and bite-also opro brand-she does low level hockey.

NoComet · 27/08/2012 01:24

It's on the kit list, so I bought one. I don't think it gets used.

Mind you I don't thing the lower PE group do a great deal of serious PE if they can help it.

Ingles2 · 27/08/2012 11:32

Gumshields are obligatory at my son's secondary for rugby and hockey.
We got a Shock Doctor gel max this time and found it easier to fit than usual so worth spending the couple of extra pounds. it was £11 at sports direct I think.

Lonecatwithkitten · 27/08/2012 21:23

English hockey association say hockey should never be played without a gum shield. So if they are playing any hockey at all they all should have one.

Pythonesque · 01/09/2012 09:53

Yes, hockey and rugby are the reasons I'm trying to mould ones this morning ... Eldest started doing hockey club quite early and we've used one of the self-fit opros from the start. Her school does arrange the full-fit ones but no way am I paying for that until all her teeth are through. My son's just going into year 3, he's young in the year and his teeth are "slow" in that he hasn't even lost his top front teeth yet. His school have said that we have to sign something if we don't get the fitted opro ones! But again, I think the self-fit ones make more sense, then we can refit them every few months or more often if need be.

I went for the opro shields in the first place because I liked the look of the fins etc, having had basic boil and bite ones for hockey as a teenager myself.

I'm hoping things won't be too rough for my youngest this term - they've done tag rugby for a couple of years already and not required mouthguards till this year; I would have thought that they should still be doing tag rugby till they're older. But I think they also start hockey with them this year a little bit so definitely mouthguards for that!

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