In a dentist’s chair last fall, I bit down on some rubbery impression compound as the first step in getting a custom mouthpiece made. A few days later, my Under Armour mouthpiece arrived, a translucent mold of my lower teeth topped with yellow tabs where my molars come together.
It fit precisely in my mouth, locking into the grooves between my teeth and sitting comfortably like a low-profile mouthguard. I went for a long run later that day, and the small yellow tabs on the mouthpiece (Under Armour calls them “power wedges”) kept my teeth from ever coming in contact on the trail.
According to Bite Tech, performance mouthpieces are not a new idea. Centuries ago, the company says Ancient Greek athletes bit down on leather straps for an edge during competition. Viking warriors clamped on wood or leather pieces for focus on the battlefield. Under Armour’s molded mouthpieces are a modern equivalent.
The cost? Prices vary from $300 to $495 for Under Armour products, depending on the dentist who sells it to you. An Under Armour competitor, Makkar Athletics Group Inc., can charge up to $1,000 or more for a similar mouthpiece product.
Over four months, I wore the Under Armour mouthpiece skiing, cycling, climbing, running, and during a handful of endurance-sports competitions. Bite Tech has dozens of testimonials and claims of immediate strength increases or gains in flexibility and speed. For me, the effect was not immediately apparent.
But the mouthpiece grew on me. After some use, I realized that I would sometimes grind my teeth when it was not in, a habit that the mouthpiece had brought to light. I found myself missing the mouthpiece when I forgot to wear it on a run.
I can’t quantify the mouthpiece’s effectiveness. It is difficult to say what it does, and some placebo effect may indeed come into play. But for me, I do notice some stress reduction when I keep from grinding my teeth. That alone increases my comfort and performance at least a small step.
The touted advantages for breathing, the strength increases, and the neurological angles are harder to sense. For some athletes, according to testimonials and interviews I conducted, a mouthpiece equals immediate gains. It was more subtle for me.
At a cost of several hundred dollars for a little-understood technology, it is hard for me to recommend friends to jump in with the Under Armour product. But for eager early adopters, serious athletes, or exercisers with disposable cash, Under Armour’s mouthpiece could be worth a try. A burst of Viking warrior power — or at the least less teeth grinding — may be the result.
—Stephen Regenold is founder and editor of www.gearjunkie.com.
