By Kevin Henry
Managing Editor, Dental Economics
Who dat? Who dat? Who dat saying mouthguards are one of the reasons the New Orleans Saints are undefeated heading into Week 9 of the NFL season? The Monday Night Football crew and the folks at Makkar Athletics Group are among those saying that what the Saints have in their mouths is helping to promote their winning ways.
During New Orleans’ victory over Atlanta on Monday Night Football, commentator and former NFL coach Jon Gruden mentioned Pure Power Mouthguards several times, and how they were helping the Saints jump higher and play better. The mention was music to the ears of Canada-based Makkar.
“Some of our people who know Coach Gruden asked him to go through the process and see how it works,” said Terry Klironomos, Pure Power Athletics Inc.’s associate vice president for athlete and media relations. “He was expecting a gimmick and was very reluctant to try it at first, but he did try it and was totally blown away by the results. Since he talked about it on Monday night, we’ve had about 400 dentists call our office to find out more. It’s been amazing.”
Klironomos says various players on several NFL teams use Pure Power’s mouthguards, estimating usage at around 5% of NFL players. While players on the Panthers, Bears, and Falcons use the mouthguard, the Saints are the only team using it as an entire team.
The process to fit the mouthguard involves more than the traditional boil and bite methods of years past.
“We know that 95% of the population doesn’t have a perfect bite,” Klironomos said. “Using a jaw tracking device and software, the dentist is able to see exactly where to position the jaw. Our goal is to find the optimal fingerprint when it comes to a person’s bite. If you’re off by even a millimeter, you’re still off. A millimeter can be like a mile in dentistry.”
Klironomos says the goal for athletic mouthguards like Pure Power is simple. “There’s research already out there that shows why neuromuscular dentistry can be such a benefit, not only in life but in athletics as well. We want this mouthguard to be a compulsory piece of equipment for every athlete.”
For more information on Pure Power’s mouthguards, CLICK HERE
