# Anyone wear a mouth guard when riding?



## boostmiser (Sep 10, 2008)

Curious. I keep hearing stories of people knocking their teeth out (a fear of mine) and it got me thinking about a mouth guard. I wear one in football and it saved my teeth and lessened the concussion I received last season. I guess you could argue it restricts air intake somewhat. Oh, and those extra grams will slow you down too. Thoughts?


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## fireplug (Nov 19, 2008)

going to make it hard to eat as well


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## Cyclo-phile (Sep 22, 2005)

kind of silly for road riding


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## jupiterrn (Sep 22, 2006)

Wwld?


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## paulrad9 (Sep 25, 2005)

If you're worried about random things going south while on the bike, donning a condom may come in handy long before a mouth guard


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## jaydub_u (Mar 16, 2009)

paulrad9 said:


> If you're worried about random things going south while on the bike, donning a condom may come in handy long before a mouth guard


I like the way you think.


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## Nimitz (Jul 8, 2004)

Yes, and full pads and a helmet...can't forget the cup either!

Chad


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## real stonie (Mar 30, 2006)

No mouth guard, but ear and nose plugs are standard equipment.


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## MR_GRUMPY (Aug 21, 2002)

boostmiser said:


> Curious. I keep hearing stories of people knocking their teeth out (a fear of mine) and it got me thinking about a mouth guard. I wear one in football and it saved my teeth and lessened the concussion I received last season. I guess you could argue it restricts air intake somewhat. Oh, and those extra grams will slow you down too. Thoughts?



Don't ever mention this subject to the guys that you ride with, or they'll think that you're a flake.


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## de.abeja (Aug 27, 2006)

I only take my mouthguard out to brush my teeth, otherwise it is in place 24hrs a day.....'cuz you never know.


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## jmlapoint (Sep 4, 2008)

Nope!
My denture is enough for me.
I usually keep my mouthpiece tucked in the front slot of my helmet like the NFL Players.


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## Duke249 (Apr 4, 2002)

seems like a really pointless idea. why not wear a helmet while driving? I betcha hear about lots of car accidents where people get their head bashed in - well, that is if you go looking for that kind of story. 

I


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## Pbnj (Jul 13, 2009)

No mouthguard, not a need for one. But I do ride with road ID and my med tag. More important I think. But that's just me.


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## MarkS (Feb 3, 2004)

I don't wear one. But, when I was hit by a car four years ago, the most significant injury I sustained was a broken tooth (actually, the tooth had been broken in a 7th grade fist fight and the repair/replacement part of the tooth cracked and fell apart). If I had not been wearing a helmet, I probably would have sustained head injuries, too. My helmet was trashed by the crash. My dentist won my undying loyalty by seeing me on a Friday night immediately after the accident even though his office had closed and he was on his way home when I called his emergency number. But, my dentist now asks me everytime I go for a visit whether I would consider wearing a mouth guard while I am riding. He does a little riding and does not wear one, but he thinks that it might be a good idea.


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## FatTireFred (Jan 31, 2005)

go for it if you want... never mind the naysayers


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## repartocorse40 (Feb 23, 2009)

lol...can you imagine lining up at a crit and the dude next to you has a mouthguard in...that would be something...i might try it so i can get a little more breathing room in the corners


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## MarshallH1987 (Jun 17, 2009)

I think i'd rather wear plastic on my forearms and hips. Anytime i've crashed there's always loads of road rash there... as for a mouthguard... that's what your tongue is for.


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## real stonie (Mar 30, 2006)

MarshallH1987 said:


> I think i'd rather wear plastic on my forearms and hips.


My gawd...you're TRON!


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## il sogno (Jul 15, 2002)

No mouthguard for me. But a blindfold? Now you're talkin'.


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## heathb (Nov 1, 2008)

Road biking no, but I've seen some video interviews of pro mountainbikers and more than a few of those guys are missing a few teeth.


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## Balderick (Jul 11, 2006)

I would have responded "what a stupid idea" a while ago. But a week ago a stone flicked up from someone else's wheel in a bunch and, as I was talking at the time, hit one of my teeth. It really hurt and I was lucky it was not damaged. So I can now see how it could happen.

I thought it might be a rare event - I been riding bikes for about 36 years and never had that happen to me before. Hwoever, I have had many scratches from rocks hit and damage glasses (not so far from my mouth) and had rocks hit my legs with enough force to cause both a sudden profanity and bleeding.

Would I wear a mouth guard? - no. Is there a reason to wear one? - probably.

However, by far the biggest thing I fear, other than receiving fatal injuries, is "road rash". Now, if they came up with cycling kit that protects you from road rash in the way motorcycle gear protects motrocyclists then I would wear it.


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## WeakMite (Feb 20, 2005)

Lots of these guys wear one


Japanese Keirin


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## Spaceman (Aug 22, 2009)

Tried for 9 rides but the guard was just too distracting to continue using it...


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## James30Florida (Apr 14, 2004)

boostmiser said:


> Oh, and those extra grams will slow you down too. Thoughts?


:lol:


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## dhtucker4 (Jul 7, 2004)

Wearing a mouthguard when road biking you can't drink water out of your waterbottle. Only if you get a very expensive custom-made mouthguard (two of my good friends are dentists). I wore one (a cheap-o guard) once, I kept choking when I took my bottle out of its cage. See all those guys playing football? They take their mouthguards out when drinking liquid. 

It's another thing for me to lose during city rides, including my headlight battery and its long connector, gloves, tube, CO2 inflator, wallet, chapstick, keys, etc.


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## raymonda (Jan 31, 2007)

boostmiser said:


> Curious. I keep hearing stories of people knocking their teeth out (a fear of mine) and it got me thinking about a mouth guard. I wear one in football and it saved my teeth and lessened the concussion I received last season. I guess you could argue it restricts air intake somewhat. Oh, and those extra grams will slow you down too. Thoughts?


Yes!  I wear a jock and cup, too!


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## ericm979 (Jun 26, 2005)

I've had a crash where I smashed in my teeth. It's no fun waking up on the side of the road with a bunch of people standing around covered with your blood and your teeth all pointing inwards.

Did you know that the ER won't fix teeth, and the emergency dentist's way of fixing them is to kneel on your chest and pull them back out, one at a time? It's somewhat painful. The root canals, orthodontics and caps were merely inconveinent and expensive.

When I started riding again I thought long and hard about using a downhill MTB helmet that has a chin guard. Sort of like a motorcross motorcycle helmet, only smaller and lighter. I didn't do it only because there's no way to eat with it, or drink from a bottle (which you need in races). If someone made a light carbon fiber helmet with a folding chin guard, I'd buy one.


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## raymonda (Jan 31, 2007)

One time I was biking and I racked myself on the TT so bad that my gonad was almost split in two. It was no fun going to the ER and having them pull it out from my stomach. (just joking. I hope you can appreciate my sarcastic humor).

Sure, any type of injury can occur when riding a bike. And, no doubt, there are all kind of protectiong you can wear to prevent it but a mouth guard is in the extreme catagory for me, espaecially considering the likelyhood of lossing my teeth is somewhat low. also, it would do nothing but annoy me. 

I don't wear one when playing hockey, which is really there to avoid concusions more than protect teeth.


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## saf-t (Sep 24, 2008)

My SIL lost her front teeth in faceplant resulting from the "front wheel caught in a subway track" thing a number of years ago. Not sure a mouthguard would have prevented it, but it does make me think.... Used one for years in various sports, and never considered playing without one.


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## 2571 (Aug 20, 2009)

*If it allows you to ride more, go for it*

Who gives a rat's ass what other people think or say. If you feel more comfortable, do it.

People use to rag me for not wearing those nasty, stinky bicycle jerseys. Wee Wee on that. I wear a white cotton t-shirt. Got a dozen, wear them once & my wife washes & bleaches them.


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## tarwheel2 (Jul 7, 2005)

Personally, I think a bullet-proof vest and steel-toed boots would be more important.


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## Stever65 (8 mo ago)

I ride on the bike path along the beach from Venice, CA to Malibu and back. Most of the time it seems safe. On weekends however, it's dangerous, with electric rented scooters racing and speeding and Sunday bicycle speeders going as fast as they can, wending their way around kids and other bicyclists. Lately I've thought that I should protect my teeth with a mouth guard in case of a collision. I do ride with a helmet, reflective vest, flashing lights and soon, a teeth protector!


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## cxwrench (Nov 9, 2004)

Stever65 said:


> I ride on the bike path along the beach from Venice, CA to Malibu and back. Most of the time it seems safe. On weekends however, it's dangerous, with electric rented scooters racing and speeding and Sunday bicycle speeders going as fast as they can, wending their way around kids and other bicyclists. Lately I've thought that I should protect my teeth with a mouth guard in case of a collision. I do ride with a helmet, reflective vest, flashing lights and soon, a teeth protector!


I know this is a hugely important topic that gets non-stop attention but jesus...the last post prior to your very first post was in '09. Maybe check the date on the last post before you go digging up any other long-deal threads.


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## Lombard (May 8, 2014)

I wish some of the chatty riders on some of our group rides would wear one.


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## Kerry Irons (Feb 25, 2002)

Stever65 said:


> I ride on the bike path along the beach from Venice, CA to Malibu and back. Most of the time it seems safe. On weekends however, it's dangerous, with electric rented scooters racing and speeding and Sunday bicycle speeders going as fast as they can, wending their way around kids and other bicyclists. Lately I've thought that I should protect my teeth with a mouth guard in case of a collision. I do ride with a helmet, reflective vest, flashing lights and soon, a teeth protector!


And here I thought this got all sorted 13 years ago, when the last previous comment was posted.


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## ogre (Dec 16, 2005)

Kerry Irons said:


> And here I thought this got all sorted 13 years ago, when the last previous comment was posted.


This is another reason you should run a 1x setup, as you’ve eliminated the possibility of crunching your teeth on the stem with a catastrophic FD mid-shift.


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## Stever65 (8 mo ago)

cxwrench said:


> I know this is a hugely important topic that gets non-stop attention but jesus...the last post prior to your very first post was in '09. Maybe check the date on the last post before you go digging up any other long-deal threads.


I wasn't concerned with a teeth guard in '09, and see no reason to not post/ask about it now. When I see Steph Curry with one hanging from his lip, it seems a possible current topic.


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## SPlKE (Sep 10, 2007)

You should always wear a mouthguard if your bike has disk breaks. 

See, disks are known to heat up to the point of deforming spokes, leading to your incisors meeting your handlebars in the most unceremonious way.


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## velodog (Sep 26, 2007)

A mouth guard is a good idea if you ride in traffic and tend to give a piece of your mind to wrongheaded motorists, because you never know when it's going to turn into a boxing match.


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## Lombard (May 8, 2014)

SPlKE said:


> You should always wear a mouthguard if your bike has disk breaks.
> 
> See, disks are known to heat up to the point of deforming spokes, leading to your incisors meeting your handlebars in the most unceremonious way.


But.....but......it won't do any good when that "spinning disc of death" slices you up in that fall!


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## SPlKE (Sep 10, 2007)

velodog said:


> A mouth guard is a good idea if you ride in traffic and tend to give a piece of your mind to wrongheaded motorists, because you never know when it's going to turn into a boxing match.


Note to self: Product idea -- boxing/cycling gloves.


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## PBL450 (Apr 12, 2014)

Stever65 said:


> I wasn't concerned with a teeth guard in '09, and see no reason to not post/ask about it now. When I see Steph Curry with one hanging from his lip, it seems a possible current topic.


Steph Curry rides bicycles? 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## mmoose (Apr 2, 2004)

It's official. Move this to the lownge. 
Speaking of which... Lownge branded mouth guard.


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