Sports mouthguard PLAYSAFE

Problem

How does the PLAYSAFE sports mouthguard help?

PLAYSAFE colors

PLAYSAFE types

Availabilities

How to fabricate a PLAYSAFE sports mouthguard

Add ons

FAQ (frequently asked questions)

Problem

This serious trauma was caused by an elbow blow. It could have been avoided if the player had been wearing a PLAYSAFE mouthguard.

Here some figures:

• More than 5 million teeth are lost every year in sporting activities in the USA (2).
• In American Football, where mouthguards are mandatory, only 0.07% of all injuries involved teeth and the oral cavity (3).
• In basketball where mouth-guards are not worn, 34% of all injuries involved teeth and/or the oral cavity (3).
• More than 200,000 oral injuries are prevented annually in the USA by sports mouthguards (1).

Obviously dental injuries could be significantly reduced if children, teenagers and adults wore custom fabricated mouthguards.

The (national) economical aspect:

According to Dr. Ray Padilla, the total rehabilitation costs for a single knocked out tooth are more than 20 times the preventive cost for a custom laminated, professional grade mouthguard (4).

How does the PLAYSAFE sports mouthguard help?

PLAYSAFE sports mouthguards ensure safety for your teeth when doing sports.

• PLAYSAFE sports mouthguards are custom-made and thus superior to boil and bite products.
• PLAYSAFE sports mouthguards exactly fit to your teeth.
• PLAYSAFE sports mouthguards do not move while doing sports.
• PLAYSAFE sports mouthguards do not hinder your breathing.
• PLAYSAFE sports mouthguards allow speaking after a short phase of getting used to it.
• A large number of scientific studies describe the superior protection of a laminated and custom-made PLAYSAFE sports mouthguard.
• PLAYSAFE sports mouthguards are available in a big variety of colors, that is it can be made in the colors of your team.

Sports mouthguards are not all created equal.

Comparing dentist fabricated, custom sports mouthguards with Boil and Bite type mouthguards reveals significant differences.
Boil and Bite type mouthguards do not fit as accurately as custom fabricated types so they often are uncomfortable and frequently interfere with the athletes breathing and speaking ability.
At the First International Symposium on Dental Biomaterials in August of 1993, Dr. J. Park, PHD, reported that Boil & Bite mouthguards provide a false sense of protection due to the dramatic decrease in thickness when the athlete bites it into place during its softened state ^(5).

Up to 1000% ....

The following graph shows the rating and additional protection of PLAYSAFE custom laminated mouthguards compared to standard Boil & Bite mouthguards. The data of the Boil & Bite correspond to 100%.
blue: Resistance to bend
green: Impact distributed

Invented in 1982 in England, PLAYSAFE has become the top choice in custom fabricated mouthguards for athletes in Europe, Australia, and the United States of America.

Literature:

• (1) American Dental Association, Council on Dental Materials, Mouth Protectors and Sports Team Dentists, JADA 1984: 109: 84-7
• (2) Dental Injury Fact Sheet, National Youth Sports Foundation For The Prevention Of Athletic Injury, Inc., Needham, Massachusetts, 1992
• (3) Flanders, Raymond A. DDS, Mohandas Bhat, DDS, The Incidence Of Orofacial Injuries In Sports, A Pilot Study In Illinois, JADA Vol. 126, April 1995; p. 491-6
• (4) Padilla, Ray DDS, Sports Dentistry and Prevention Of Oral Injuries, CDA Sessions, Anaheim, California; May 12, 1995
• (5) Park et l, Methods of Improved Mouthguards, First International Symposium On Biomaterials, Taejon, Korea, August 1993

PLAYSAFE colors

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The ERKODENT ERKOFLEX standard colors:

I(talia)

F(rance)

D(eutschland)

fun

confetti

white-red

lava

lava-strip

tiedye

zebra

camuflage

camuflage-strip

rainbow

silver-flakes

gold-flakes

bright-red (1)

bright-yellow (2)

bright-blue (3)

bright-green (4)

bright-pink (5)

light-blue (6)

transparent (7)

deep-red (8)

dark-blue (9)

maroon (10)

deep-green (11)

pure-white (12)

deep-black (13)

gold (14)

silver (15)

... or individually composed combinations out of 15 colors, e.g.:

2-coloured

3-coloured

4-coloured

5 types of PLAYSAFE

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The safe mouthguard for any sport.

PLAYSAFE heavy pro, 3 layers with hard layer, recommended for sports where extremely hard and pointed impacts may be received by the jaw, e.g.:

• Ice Hockey
• Field Hockey
• Squash
• Polo
• Rollerblading
• Kickboxing
• Karate
• Rugby

PLAYSAFE light pro, 3 layers,in case of cramped oral situation (e.g. for children), recommended for sports where extremely hard and pointed impacts may be received by the jaw, e.g.:

• Ice Hockey
• Field Hockey
• Squash
• Polo
• Rollerblading
• Kickboxing
• Karate
• Rugby

PLAYSAFE heavy, 2 layers + 3 power distribution lines, recommended for sports where strong and hard impacts may be received by the jaw, e.g.:

• Boxing
• Rollerblading
• Karate
• Rugby
• Baseball
• American Football
• Ski racing
• Skateboarding

PLAYSAFE medium, 2 layers, recommended for sports where objects with a large surface area may be received by the jaw, e.g.:

• Boxing
• Biking
• Basketball
• Football
• Judo
• Wrestling
• Riding
• Handball
• Waterball
• Motocross

PLAYSAFE light, 2 layers, with cramped oral situation, for:

• see medium

PLAYSAFE light additionally protects the opposing teeth against each other, e.g. for integral helmet sports.

Availabilities

PLAYSAFE introductory pack

Orderno. 177 650 containing:

• Fusing gun (177000)
• ERKOFLEXsticks-95 (177006)
• Hot air burner without gaz (177530)
• ERKOBOX (215030)
• Special scissors (220300)
• Fine crosscut tungsten carbide bur, conical (110837)
• LISKO-S polishing discs, turquoise (223200)
• Degreasing agent (613050)
• PLAYSAFE set Ø 120mm, 1-colour, light (177101)
• PLAYSAFE set Ø 120mm, 1-colour, heavy-pro (177141)
• ISOLAC clear (sample)
• ERKOGUM (sample)
• Helmet-strap bright red (2 samples)
• Helmet-strap deep black (2 samples)
• Instructions PLAYSAFE
• Order forms for multicolored plates (5 pieces)
• PLAYSAFE flyer (20 pieces)
• Overview of available PLAYSAFE-Sets
• Material card

How to fabricate a PLAYSAFE sports mouthguard.

Classes:
Classes how to fabricate a PLAYSAFE sports mouthguard are held by ERKODENT and our worldwide partners. Having finished the class you obtain a certificate, which qualifies you to produce professional, custom-made PLAYSAFE sports mouthguards.
A sports mouthguard can only be named PLAYSAFE if it is fabricated by a trained person according to the PLAYSAFE guidelines.

In general please follow the steps below (you will obtain a detailed description when ordering the materials):

• Take impressions of upper and lower jaw
• Produce the plaster models.
• Perform the thermoforming with our units (e.g. ERKOFORM RVE) using our ERKOFLEX foil.
• Finish the thermoforming results with our drills, burrs and our special scissors.

Add ons

Finishing-Set Quick, containing all rotating instruments that are useful for the finishing of all thermoforming materials.
Orderno. 110 875, contents: 1 fissure burr, rightward cutting, 2 twist drills HSS, 1 tungsten carbide burr, crosscut, conical, 2 LISKO-S, 1 mandrel and 2 supporting discs

Degreasing agent, for cleaning and degreasing of thermoforming materials before their combination. Ensures the firm bonding between ERKOFLEX-types.
Orderno. 613 050, 1 bottle containing 50 ml

ERKOBOX transparent, stable, spacious box to keep the SILENSOR snoreguard, orthodontic appliances, several splints and the PLAYSAFE mouthguard.
Orderno. 215 030, contents 20 pieces

ERKOSKIN, self-hardening protective film for almost all materials. Permanently elastic, acid and base resistant, rupture-resistant, removeable without residues, fast drying.
As spacer during the fabrication of bleaching trays and to relieve tension of the gingival margin in the thermoforming technique.
As protection of plaster dies against trim water, of high-gloss metal parts when sandblasting and of high-gloss ceramic parts when etching ceramics et cetera.
Orderno. 625 050, bottle containing 50 ml

Tungsten carbide burrs, crosscut, pear-shaped, to grind in occlusal splints.
Orderno. 110 835, 1 piece

Tungsten carbide burrs, crosscut, conical, to trim all thermoforming materials.
Orderno. 110 837, 1 piece

Hot-air-burner, without flame, no soot, no blackening. Ideal for the local softening and polishing of ERKOFLEX and ERKOFLEX 95 materials. Will be refilled with butane for lighters.
Orderno. 177 530, 1 piece without gas

HSS twist drill, for the fine cutting out of hard and semi-hard splints. E.g. applicable to splints out of ERKODUR and ERKOLEN.
Orderno. 110 873, contents 3 pieces

LISKO polishing discs, open structure, unique for the elaboration of soft materials. Available in 3 different grain sizes.
Orderno. 223 105, contents: 10 LISKO-polishing discs, 4 supporting discs, 1 mandrel.

LISKO-S polishing discs, like LISKO, however with half-open stabilized structure. Lifetime 4 times longer than LISKO. All operations are possible with one grain size.
Orderno. 223 200, contents: 10 LISKO-S polishing discs, 4 supporting discs, 1 mandrel.

Special scissors, to cut out all soft thermoforming materials and hard foils up to max. 1.0 mm thickness.
Orderno. 220 300, 1 piece

Fissure burr, for rough cutting out of hard thermoforming foils and plates.
Orderno. 110 836, 2 pieces (pict.), rigthward cutting, left spiral, no lumps during cutting
Orderno. 110 840, 3 pieces, square

FAQ (frequently asked questions)

• Why is a PLAYSAFE superior to a boil and bite mouthguard?
  If your patient uses a boil and bite mouthguard, the fit between teeth and mouthguard is not of the quality as with the custom-made PLAYSAFE sports mouthguard. Because of the tight fit teeth are much more protected with the the PLAYSAFE. In extreme situations your patient can loose the boil + bite mouthguard. This can not happen with a PLAYSAFE mouthguard made by you, a certified and professional expert. In addition the PLAYSAFE mouthguard is much more comfortable to use.
• What colors are available for the PLAYSAFE mouthguard?
  A PLAYSAFE sports mouthguard can be produced according to the wishes of your patient. A big variety of colors is available. Thus, usually you can produce a PLAYSAFE according to your patient´s team colors.
• How is it ensured that teammates do not mix up their PLAYSAFE mouthguards?
  Due to PLAYSAFE being a custom-made sports mouthguard, it would be highly surprising if a PLAYSAFE would fit to 2 different sportsmen´s teeth. However, teammates can easily identify their PLAYSAFEs by checking the name label. There is no need to check it out by fixing the PLAYSAFE on the teeth. You obtain the name labels from ERKODENT, our worldwide partners or you can produce them yourselves (use paper or plastic).
  
• Is it possible fully to breath through the mouth with a PLAYSAFE?
  Yes. PLAYSAFE sports mouthguards do not hinder breathing through the mouth.
• Is it possible to communicate with a teammate with a PLAYSAFE put on?
  In contrast to boil + bite products the PLAYSAFE custom-made sports mouthguards hinder in speaking to a much smaller extent. After a period of getting used to the PLAYSAFE it is possbile to speak quite normally.
• I am quite uncertain about which kind of PLAYSAFE mouthguard I should produce for my patient.
  To find out which kind of PLAYSAFE sports mouthguard is suitable to your patient´s sport or needs please check the table above.
• What is the way to learn how to produce a PLAYSAFE mouthguard?
  We invite you to join a class at ERKODENT or at our worldwide partners. After intensive training you will receive a certificate documenting that mouthguards produced by you according to the PLAYSAFE guidelines can be called custom-made PLAYSAFE sports mouthguards.
• I do not succeed in laminating two ERKOFLEX-plates. What can be the reason?
  Please use our degreasing agent (orderno.: 613 050). The agent will remove isolating particles. Furthermore please put our cover templates (orderno.: 110 900) on the granules before using the degreasing agent.

Oral Laceration

Helps you protect oral tissue from laceration by
shielding the lips, tongue, cheeks and gums.

Tooth Injury

Shock-absorbing bumper helps protect teeth by
absorbing and deflecting impact force.

Brain Concussion

helps protect your brain from concussion by dissipating the
shock of a blow to the lower jaw.

TMJ Disorder

Helps protect your TM joint from dislocation and related
injuries by properly supporting and cushioning the lower jaw.

Jaw Fracture

Helps prevent jaw fracture by acting as a cushion
between the upper and lower jaw.