Mouthguards are used for a variety of different reasons. They are used to protect athletes from trauma to gums and teeth and used to help people protect their teeth from the effects of clenching and grinding. Few people give them much thought, even if they rely on them personally, but perhaps that should change.

However, maybe we’ve come to the point where we do think more about them. After all, these are amazing tools that can really help a person protect their teeth and gums from a variety of conditions.

That’s why we believe that Mouthguard Day was invented. A day that is observed on the first Monday of September and encourages all of us to give the common mouthguard a little bit of thought — at least for the day.

The History Of Mouthguard Day

Some of the first modern mouthpieces were invented during the late 19th century. One of the first ones was designed by Woolf Krause, a London Dentist. He named his device a gum shield and used a form of latex that’s derived from a tree called Gutta-percha.

This gum shield was originally designed to be worn by boxers, but it didn’t take long before people realized that it had other uses as well. Over the decades, new and improved mouth shields were developed and really gained popularity during the 1960s.

A holiday observing the mouthguard would take a little bit longer to be created, however. Mouthguard Day wouldn’t be created until 2018. This is when OPRO Mouthguards created the day to raise the public’s awareness about the importance of mouthguards.

They placed this holiday on the first Monday in September to try to align it with the start of the new school year. Why this time of the year? Because this is the time when children begin to play sports and are therefore more likely to suffer injuries to their gums and teeth.

Observing Mouthguard Day

This day is one that everyone should at least think about when it comes around every year. Mouthguards can be used for a variety of different preventative reasons, and as such, people might want to think about whether their particular circumstances warrant getting a mouthguard-sized.

So we recommend that people learn more about mouthguards and what they do. It’s also a good day to visit a dentist to see what services they might provide. As always, people can help to spread the news about this holiday using the hashtag #MouthguardDay on social media.