FAQs

Do you wear a mouthguard in Muay Thai?

Do you like having teeth? If so, you’ll want to wear a mouth guard (aka gum shield) for Muay Thai boxing! Both during fights and in Muay Thai training and sparring.

Muay Thai fights can involve kicking, punching, elbowing aimed at your head. Using a gum shield / mouth guard will help absorb the impact of strikes to the face, reducing the possibility of tooth damage or loss and wider jaw injuries.

Gum shields are a relatively inexpensive item and provided you choose one which fits properly, are comfortable to wear. So you’d be crazy not to wear one.
For hygiene reasons, it’s worth investing in your own gum shield.

Are gum shields bad for your teeth?

Provided they fit correctly, gum shields aka mouthguards should not be bad for your teeth and gums. Quite the opposite; Mouthguards help absorb the impact of strikes to the head in Muay Thai, so actually help protect your teeth and gums.

The caveat is that your mouthguard needs to fit snuggly. So when you choose a mouthguard you’ll want to make sure the fit is correct. You can purchase custom-molded mouth guards which fit the exact shape of your teeth – this is arguably the best way of guaranteeing and perfect fit and best protection.
A badly fitting gum shield could create issues, so it’s important to pay attention to selecting a correct fit for your mouth.

What mouthguards do MMA fighters use?

The most important factors in selecting a mouthguard for Muay Thai are fit, size, and comfort. It’s essential that these are correct to give you the best level of mouth and jaw protection.

Mouthguards come in several different types; Custom-fit, boil-type, and bite fit. Whilst it’s possible that you could get either variety to work for you, the probability of perfect fit follows in that order (custom fit > boil > bite fit mouthguards).

A secondary concern for some Muay Thai fighters is the aesthetic appearance of the gum shield. But this is superficial only and of no significant impact on the function of the mouthguard. Your primary focus in choosing a mouthguard for Muay Thai must be a correct fit above anything else.

What is a double mouth guard?

Conventional mouthguards comprise two pieces. An upper piece fits over and protects your top row of teeth, whilst the lower portion sits along your lower teeth and gum.

A double mouthguard differs in that it is a single piece, greater in height which is mounted onto your lower teeth and is greater in height, covering both your upper and lower teeth and gums.

For Muay Thai, we strongly recommend that you stick with a conventional two-piece gum shield rather than double mouthguard. One important reason is that many Muay Thai fighters tend to open their mouths to gasp for breath mid-fight. A conventional mouthguard avoids the possibility of any misalignment when closing your jaw to prepare for an engagement.