A quick Google search for ‘how do you clean a mouthguard’ will spit out around 30 million results, of which only a handful will be vaguely relevant. However, all of these results are based on out-dated, inadequate and down-right damaging methods. Before we explain exactly how to hygienically clean your sports mouthguard, here are seven deadly sins to ditch for good:
1. Rinsing in water
Ah, the most common and most basic antidote to a dirty, spit-riddled mouthguard after play. Unfortunately, simply rinsing in cold (or even warm water) is not enough to rid your mouthguard of bacteria and plaque build-up. Just like you wouldn’t wash your teeth or your dirty plates in water alone, simply rinsing your guard will do nothing but waste water (kind of like pouring a bottle of water over a dirty car and expecting it to shine immaculately).
2. Using a toothbrush
It may seem like the obvious choice to pick up your manual or electric toothbrush and give your mouthguard a brush-up, but our daily toothbrushes are not designed to care for acrylic plastic. And, they can actually cause fissures (small tears) on the surface of the guard, allowing bacteria, plaque, blood and phlegm to get trapped over time and cause foul smells and stains.
3. Using a toothbrush with toothpaste
Using toothpaste on your mouthguard is one of the worst things for it because toothpaste contains abrasive chemicals including calcium carbonate, dehydrated silica gels, hydrated aluminium oxides, magnesium carbonate, phosphate salts and silicates. These are designed to break down and remove plaque, debris and surface stains from our teeth which are made of pulp, dentin, enamel, and cementum. However, these chemicals are too abrasive for acrylic and, over time, will damage your mouthguard and cause small tears and holes to appear which will house bacteria, dirt, plaque and other nasties. Contact with this bacteria can cause sickness including colds, flu, chest infections and even pneumonia.
4. Soaking in bleach or detergents
While bleach certainly has its place in the laundry cupboard, household oxidizing bleaches (usually based on peroxides such as hydrogen peroxide, sodium percarbonate, and sodium perborate) can weaken or damage materials like fibres, cloth, and plastics. For the same reason, ingestion of bleach, breathing its fumes, or contact with the mouth, skin or eyes can cause serious health damage and should be avoided. Even diluted bleach is not safe for ingestion and can also cause damage to the mouthguard itself, exposing you to chemicals in the plastic as it breaks down.
5. Soaking in mouthwash
Contrary to popular belief, the alcohol concentration in mouthwash (usually up to 25%) is not high enough to kill microorganisms in your mouth or on your mouthguard. Therefore, you can’t use it as an effective antiseptic (although you may appreciate the temporary minty smell!) The alcohol in mouthwash is used only as a carrier agent for ingredients like menthol and preservative, and not to kill bacteria. Using mouthwash will cover up the bad odour for a time, but will not get rid of the bacteria producing it, so you’ll continue to carry that bacteria on your mouthguard no matter how long it soaks.
6. Pouring boiling water
Boiling water kills or inactivates viruses and bacteria but it will not sterilize your mouthguard, meaning that some microorganisms living on your mouthguard may still be present. Sterilization destroys all microorganisms on the surface of your mouthguard to prevent the transmission of diseases.
7. Using fizzing denture tablets
If you’re brave enough to raid grandma’s cupboard and steal a few fizzing tablets, you might find that soaking your new mouthguard after the first few games will do the trick. However, over time, yellow stains caused by calculus will build up if you’re not brushing your mouthguard with a specially designed cleaning device to remove that stubborn build-up.
The only way to hygienically clean your mouthguard is HyGenie Sport
Using HyGenie Sport with Dental Fresh takes just one minute to thoroughly clean your sports mouthguard. Dr Mark’s DentalFresh is a paraben and alcohol-free formulation designed for daily use. It has a pH balance perfectly set at 5.0 which will begin dissolving calculus build-up without harming your mouthguard the way that toothpaste or harsh detergents will. Shop HyGenie Sport’s range of sports mouthguard products today and start protecting your mouth. Use code ‘SHIPFREE’ in the checkout for free shipping for all orders over $40, for a limited time only.
