Boxing with braces—can be problematic. In this sport, the opponent tries his best to punch you right in the face. As a result, your teeth and mouth, will inevitably get hurt. For that reason, you might wonder whether having braces is a good idea while partaking in boxing.
While most dentists recommend you stay away from boxing while having braces, you can box safely if you buy a custom-made mouthguard. Most mouthguards in sports shops won’t fit your braces and cover the wires. As such, they won’t be sufficient for when you get hit in the mouth.
It’s only common sense that if you have something inside your mouth, it may get hurt while partaking in a sport all about punching your opponent in the face. Thus, it’ll be best to stay away from sparring and overall fighting, dentists suggest.
And still, you may be eager to resume your boxing journey. Frankly, I completely understand that, as I know how fun and developing constant boxing training can be.
There’s a single solution for you, to buy a custom-made mouthguard, preferably from a dentist. When you get your braces done, of course, it’ll be best to consult with the teeth professional next to you about your next moves. If you have to continue training, which I completely understand, buy a custom-made mouthguard to also protect your braces.
Before we dive into the article, if you want to know whether you can box with veneers, follow the link to read all about it.
How to protect your braces in boxing?
Contact sports can be harmful when you have some type of outside device on your face or inside your mouth. When you get hit in the face, this device may not only harm yourself, but it can also hurt your opponent, as you never know what’s going to happen.
Wearing a custom-made mouthguard will protect your braces in boxing and all other contact sports and martial arts. Buying a regular mouthguard usually will not be sufficient, as it won’t cover the braces. That’s why consulting and buying from your dentist—is the best idea to ensure your long-term health.
Non-custom-made mouthguards may be ill-fitting, poorly retentive and ineffective in minimizing injury to the teeth and associated structures compared with custom-made mouthguards.
SOURCE
Inevitably, when you box, you’re extremely likely to hurt yourself. Most boxers who know that, and get their braces—end up quitting the martial art. That’s the action most dentists will recommend you take, quit all contact sports for the time being.
And still, some boxers, like yourself, will be more than eager to start or resume their training, even with braces. As a result, you must think of all the possible ways to protect your braces at all costs. If you break either the wires or the braces themselves, you might badly injure yourself and your opponent.
I don’t see any scenario where you won’t wear a mouthguard. Honestly, if you avoid wearing one, you’re putting all the players in risk, regardless of whether you play rugby, football, soccer, basketball, wrestling, BJJ, MMA, and boxing.
What happens when you get punched with braces?
This section will assume you’re not wearing a mouthguard. However, do yourself and all the other players a favor, if you’re doing any contact sport and have braces, ensure to always wear a custom-made mouthguard, to protect yourself in such a scenario.
If you get hit in the face while wearing your braces, they may come loose and the wire might break. Likewise, the odds of you having more damage to the soft tissues in your mouth, hence your tongue, cheeks, and lips—greatly increase. Lastly, the opponent may end up getting cuts or bruises from the contact.
You not only need to think about yourself in this situation, but also about your training partners. They might end up severely injuring themselves if they get in contact with your braces.
It’s only common sense that if you get in contact with such a device, your chances of getting cuts or bruises on your hand—greatly increase. For that reason, if you’re wearing a mouthguard, you’ll avoid such situations, where you can hurt both yourself and other people.
Why risk getting hurt in the mouth and doing the same procedure again? You already have braces on; so, do yourself a favor and finish the time you must wear them without doing more damage to your mouth and teeth, which may result in additional time with the braces.
It is recommended that all those participating in sports involving physical contact wear a sports mouthguard (MG) to prevent or reduce the severity of dental trauma. Fixed orthodontic appliances are potentially an additional risk factor for traumatic dental injuries during sports participation
SOURCE
Can my braces break while boxing?
Dental devices—are vital for both your short and long-term health and appearance. If you want your teeth to look all crooked for the rest of your life, then mess around with them. However, if you desire to keep them healthy in the long-term, you must protect them, at all costs.
Your braces can break while boxing, as it’s a contact sport with the entire purpose of punching your opponent in the face as hard as possible. You’re training to punch your opponent’s face, and sometimes mouth, with as much power as possible. Without a custom-made mouthguard, then, your braces might break.
It should be your number one priority to protect your long-term health. Don’t forget wearing a mouthguard, even when you have the slightest chance of hurting your teeth. Do your future self a favor and let him live a happier life with healthy teeth.
Regardless of appearance in the long-term, if your braces break, you might need to get them done again, only this time, wear them for longer. As a result, you’re jeopardizing the comfort of your future self by not wearing a custom-made mouthguard.
Before we continue, if you want to pair yourself with the best boxing shoes for your money, and thus improve your skills immediately by being more stable, follow the link to see the complete list of the best ones.
Should I box with braces?
Getting hit in the face while having some medical device on your face or on your teeth—can severely hurt both yourself and the opponent. Likewise, you might end up needing the same device for a more extended period, as you broke it and hurt yourself in the process.
Most dentists recommend you to not partake in any contact sports while having braces. That said, you can do so if you wear a custom-made mouthguard that’ll protect them. And still, taking all the extra protective steps to ensure you don’t hurt yourself or your partners while boxing—is crucial.
I know how difficult it is to stay away from contact sports. I’ve never not participated in at least a single martial art. As a result, I can understand your difficulty of not partaking in contact sports with braces. And thus, I know that there aren’t enough words to stop you from taking part in boxing.
For that reason, I want to make one thing clear: you must always wear a custom-made mouthguard, even if you’re just training. You might end up falling on your face if you slip while doing heavy bag boxing. As a result, your braces might end up severely injuring yourself, or even worse, breaking and hurting the inside of your mouth.
Don’t risk such injuries, for no cost whatsoever.
Martial arts you can do with braces
I’ve decided to include this section in this article for one primary reason: I want you to understand that you can do partake in any martial art that you want to learn, regardless of your dental issues. However, you must prioritize wearing protective gear, for the hands, head, crotch, and mouth.
You can partake in all martial arts with braces, on the one condition that you’re wearing a custom-made, suitable mouthguard. If you don’t, you will end up breaking them, either the wires or the device itself. That will injure both yourself and your opponent. So, unless you want to bleed uncontrollably, wear a mouthpiece.
The following list is all the martial arts you can do with braces:
- MMA
- Muay-Thai
- Boxing
- Judo
- Wrestling
- Tai chi
- Qigong
- Sumo
- Jeet Kune Do
- BJJ
- GJJ
- Jiu-Jitsu
- Kenpo
- Krav Maga
- Kickboxing
Final words
To end this article, always prioritize protection over anything else. Learning one new technique, or participating in one more fight—isn’t worth long-term injuries.
If you care about the health of your training partners as well, you must wear a custom-made mouthpiece, to protect your braces. That way, both you and your opponent will be safe in case something does end up happening.
Boxing is all about punching the other boxer in the face and body as hard as possible. When two people’s purpose is to do that, and they train for it, you bet they’ll both make the hits. Thus, always ensure to wear a mouthguard, to ensure the device or the wires don’t break and end up hurting your soft issues.
If you enjoyed reading this article, you’ll also enjoy reading about whether you can box with piercings. If you do have one, it’ll be important to protect them, so they don’t end up bleeding and hurting you; do give it a read.