Mouth guard / gum guard brand for sensory /ASD children

[Ilovechoc12]

Hi,

Has anyone got a brand of gum guard that has worked for playing hockey / rugby for an ASD / Sensory child?

Bought 2 (opro and opro snap) but he can’t stand them in his mouth for a second and sometimes gags at the thought of it. We have yet to mould the guard to his teeth as he can’t keep it in his mouth long enough.

However I do understand they need one especially with flying balls / sticks! He’s not allowed to play without a gum guard in.

Or is there everything else that could work? I suggested a cricket hat but he doesn’t like any additional things added to him! (This is a boy that won’t wear a jumper or coat below freezing as he doesn’t feel the cold)!

He refuses to go to the dentist as his anxiety is far too high. So I can’t get one professionally made.

Thank you and any recommendations are really appreciated xxxx

There are some websites that will supply impression kits for you (SafeJaws) to get a custom made one without going to the dentist, they are not cheap but lab made custom ones are a lot easier to wear than off the shelf mouldable ones. How well the fit will depend on the mould of his teeth he can get.
If you go down this route I would suggest trying in the tray lots before you take the mould and check he's ok with the taste of the impression material.
I also saw some ultra thin mouldable guards on ebay by Sisu they may be easier than Opro ones which are good but quite bulky.

Thank you for your reply.
I’ve just bought a sisu one - coming tom before 1 ! Isn’t Amazon amazing ! Doesn’t help he’s missing 4 main teeth 🤪🤪🤪
Time will tell and if not I’ll look at safe jaws - thank you ! X

Good old Amazon it's great for things you really need now.
I hope it works for him. I'd suggest working on desensitisation so holding it, smelling it. Get him to hold it in his teeth for increasingly longer periods, ideally whilst doing something else that is distracting so TV, playing a game.
I've got adults with sensory issues who've managed to wear bite guards with a bit of work.

@Ilovechoc12 not sure if you're still around, but I was wondering how you got on with the Sisu mouth guard, or whether you found anything else that worked?

We're having similar issues with DD, we've tried several times to mould first a cheap boil and bite, then a more expensive Shock Doctor gel one (flavoured too, which I thought might help), but she instantly gags and won't bite down to fit it.