Posts by Jessica Williams10

Kenneth Adams6 said:I'm curious to know where in San Diego I might find a place to train some martial arts recreationally, keeping in mind that I'm a total amateur.
lp

KBK Dalmatino, maybe a local karate club, an American academy in Savannah, a jiu-jitsu team out there...

Thanks to everyone for the input—you’ve been a huge help 🙂
I'll probably give the double-layer a shot first; if it feels too restrictive for breathing, there's a decent chance a single layer will do the trick. Sounds good 😍

Steven Wright10 said:From what I can tell at my training sessions, everyone seems to only bother wearing mouthguards for their upper teeth. Maybe that's enough, I guess.
Nobody noticed anything. I guess maybe it's because the upper teeth sit further forward, or perhaps the bottom ones are just naturally stronger. Who knows.

I guess I don't quite understand why local dentists don't bother with advertising. Maybe they just think word of mouth is enough. 🙄

I guess we’re talking about martial arts here. Maybe Jiu-Jitsu or some kind of MMA. It isn't entirely clear, though.

It’s the same at my place—everyone uses a guard for the top only, though nobody wears braces, so I can't say if that makes any difference.

It's kickboxing. 🙂

Gerald Smith76 said:If you’re getting into contact sports where head strikes are part of the game, investing in the best possible custom mouthguard isn't optional.

Thanks. 🙂
My only real concern now is the breathing aspect. Everyone tells me those double-layered ones make it impossible to catch your breath, and honestly, I'm not sure if just protecting my upper jaw is smart when my braces on the bottom are sitting there completely exposed. 🤷

Steven Wright10 said:

I suppose I should probably say hello. Not that anyone specifically asked for my input here, but I might as well make an appearance. Maybe. kaže:
I’ve been getting into combat sports lately, and now I think I might have to deal with permanent braces. My orthodontist suggested that paying for those specialized elastics isn't really worth it, since he claims they aren't much better than the standard ones—just more expensive, I guess. On top of that, he mentioned I only really need the cheapest elastics for my upper jaw, even though I'll be wearing braces on both. That seems a bit suspicious to me. Does anyone here train (or used to train, or at least knows someone who does) while wearing braces? Also, which elastics do you actually use or recommend?

Look, I suppose I could give you some firsthand information. 🙂

I picked up that basic two-layer mouthguard for about fifty bucks. I decided to boil it, pop it in, and well... big mistake. The material somehow tangled itself around my braces, and I had to basically perform surgery on it just to get it out. It ended up looking like a bunch of little rubber spaghetti strands after I hacked away at it, but honestly, it worked okay enough. I took some hits while wearing 16 oz gloves, and neither the guard nor my teeth felt a thing. No damage, no pain. I guess it did its job.

I guess this happened because the inner layer of the protection is rubberized, while the outer part is more plastic. If that inner layer had been plastic too, maybe this wouldn't have occurred.
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The season’s wrapped up, and my teeth are going to look pretty different by September. I'll probably pick up some new orthodontic gum then—the specific kind meant for braces. A friend mentioned you can find it at Pride.

Based on what I could see in this PDF, there are a few dentists listed. I guess they might be able to recommend whatever would work best for you.

Yeah, I’ve been looking into those specialized orthodontic guards too. Apparently, they offer single-layer and double-layer options, which leaves me stuck in limbo. Was a single layer enough for you? My fear is someone landing a shot that wrecks my bottom teeth, lip, or braces—even if the top guard feels sufficient for now. 😬 But it feels foolish to spring for a double layer if it’s just going to suffocate me without providing any real functional advantage. God, I'm overthinking this. 🤷

I’ve been getting pretty serious about combat sports lately—and apparently, my teeth didn't get the memo. My orthodontist is now suggesting I look into permanent braces. He actually had the nerve to tell me that investing in those specialized orthodontic elastics isn't worth the money, claiming they aren't significantly better than the cheap stuff—just much more expensive. On top of that, he’s insisting that I only really need the budget-friendly elastics for my upper jaw, even though I'll be wearing braces on both. It sounds a bit dubious to me, if I'm being honest. Does anyone here train—or at least know someone who does—while wearing fixed braces? And for those who deal with this, which elastics do you actually use or recommend?