Proformance Mouth Guards
Reviewed By: AJ Hoffman
July 25, 2011
Disclosure: This product was a comp from ProFormance Guards
No matter what sort of martial art you practice, whether or be jiu jitsu, kickboxing or MMA, a mouth guard is the one piece of equipment that we all need. For the less serious competitor there are easy options for a mouthguard. If you are going to the gym once a week for cardio-kickboxing, a $10 boil and bite from Academy will probably do the job just fine. That said, if you are competing in a more physical activity, especially MMA, the protection from a boil and bite probably just isn’t enough. This is where ProFormance Guards comes in. They design custom fitted mouth guards built to protect your grill under serious strain. I had been using a TapOut boil and bite that I got in a two pack for about $15. Most of the time it was serviceable, but there were also instances during training that the pressure being put on my jaw definitely had me concerned for my dental health.
| Features | ProFormance Guards represent leading-edge technology in custom protection. Each ProFormance Guard is produced by pressure-forming multiple layers, each shaped separately over a customized mold of the athlete’s teeth. With controlled thickness offering protection in areas where its needed most, ProFormance Guards also offer superb durability with a tight, comfortable fit. What’s more, with our pressure-laminated process, you can personalize your ProFormance Guard with thousands of color, logo, and label combinations.
[rating:5] |
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Step 1 - Initial impression
Step 2 - Stone mold made from impression
| Quality | The process of getting your guard built starts off in a dentist’s office, which instantly makes you feel a little better than it would had they been headquartered in a strip mall. They have a dental assistant come in and have you bite into a tray filled with a pink, sticky substance that takes a mold of your teeth in about a minute. You are asked what kind of mouthpiece you need (They offer them in 4-6 mm thick for regular contact sports or 6-7 mm thick for heavy contact sports such as MMA or boxing). You also choose your colors and custom logo design. The entire process is really fast and painless. Then begins the wait to get your guard back. If you have a digitized logo it could take 10-14 days to get back. If you have a basic design with color and print, you could have your guard back in less than a week.
Once it’s ready you go in to the office to make sure it is properly fitted. Mine had a little extra material in the back, and scraped on the back of my mouth. I explained what was going on with it, and they came back with it 3 minutes later with the excess material removed. The guard itself is big, bigger than what I was used to with my TapOut guards. It fits so perfectly over your teeth, though, that it is actually easier to breathe and talk than it was in my old guard. It is a different feeling, mostly because it covers more of your mouth than a boil and bite. It is a little uncomfortable when I first put it on before a competition, but once I actually got rolling in it I hardly noticed it was there. The guard is so well fitted to your teeth that you literally have to reach your fingers into the back of your mouth and peel it off. This would ensure that you don’t lose it if you are in a fight and leave yourself open to take some damage to your teeth. [rating:5] |
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Step 3 - Fitting stone mold
Step 4 - Blank first layer
| Value | The value of the product is obviously in the eye of the beholder. The question in this instance becomes “How important are my teeth to me?”. For me the answer is simple. VERY.
The price for the guards seems steep at first look, especially on a fighter’s budget. A basic guard goes for $104.99 and can be customized for $20 more. The thicker guards for heavy contact sports is $184.99 and can be customized with a logo and up to 3 colors. (Youth guards are also available for kids up to age 13 for $74.99). The dentist will quickly remind you what it costs to fix a broken tooth, and suddenly it seems a lot smarter to invest in the protection rather than repair. For a BJJ practitioner I would recommend the basic guard, and save yourself a few bucks. If you train in Muay Thai or plan on fighting MMA, I would go with the Elite version and throw out the extra few bucks. The guard also comes with a case, which you don’t get with your average boil and bite. Like I mentioned earlier, think about the one piece of equipment you use every time you train. When you consider that this piece of equipment could last you for years, it seems like a wise investment, despite the initial sticker shock. [rating:4] |
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Step 5 - Custom trimming
Step 6 - Complete
| Summary | Again, it all depends on how important your teeth are to you. This product is worlds beyond what you can buy at your local sporting goods store. I think when you consider how much you will be using this product, it is worth going through the process and paying the price to get it done. The process is done very professionally and it feels great to know that your ProFormance Guard is customized exactly how you want it and designed to protect you specifically. | ||
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[rating:5]
http://www.proformanceguards.com
Here are some samples of their work (click to view larger image). You can view more on their site or their Facebook Page.
Hey great review Aj, glad you liked the guard and the process. Just one point we would like to address in regards to our limited location:
We offer multiple ways of getting your impression:
- for groups of 10 or more we will actually come to your school and do the impressions at YOUR site (free of charge)
- we can mail a self impression kit with step by step instructions as well as a youtube video to your house so you can do the impressions in your living room. (free of charge)
- as well as our PERSONAL local office, (free of charge) you can go to your OWN dentist have him make an impression for you and send us that impression.
All of the custom guards are made in house in our office, and we recommend a professional impression be taken, however your impression can be done through many different options and still produce our high quality product. So we can actually make a custom ProFormance guard for you regardless of where you live..from Texas to Canada and everywhere in between.
Thanks again and we appreciate the opportunity!
The best gaurds around for sure. They did a great mouthpiece for me and have always been awesome when it comes to helping me out. These guys are top of the line….
Shaun and Kyle are the best around, Great mouth guard!!!
Love the guards! As everyone saw I got tagged by Marc a few times, and that dude hits hard! I never had any slip or give with the piece though during the fight. My corner didn’t even take it out between rounds because of how well it fits and stays out of the way. I took advice, talked, and drank water with it in. Those qualities combined with the options of customization to make it as clean or crazy as you want…that’s For The Win for sure!!
Big thanks to Proformance for keeping my teeth in place, my family and I appreciate it.
Great on the spot review Justin.
Justin is class act all the way. Great fight last weekend and thanks for the review as well. Its an honor!
No question about it these guys make the BEST mouthguards period. If you have any doubt take a look at all of the fighters that are wearing their guards these days. It’s very simple; Quality products, quality company and quality guys.
Proformance Guards are awesome. I can’t say enough about these guys. Not only is their product the best in the biz they are awesome to work with, great customer service and they support many of the local shows and fighters. Get the gear the pros use!
I’ve got custom mouthguards from Damage Control, the Fight Dentist, MMA Grillz, and ProFormance. The only one that is every used is the one from ProFormance. The others are nice but not in the same class. Sean and crew go above and beyond making sure that it is perfect before you’re ready to use the final product. Don’t waste a bunch of time looking around for “other” brands, just go with ProFormance and you will not be sorry…
I need one of those mouth pieces
Hey Nate, we are always available.
Give us a shout at the office 281.332.1919 and we can set something up for you asap! Look forward to putting something together for you!
I own a pretty pricey version of the Gladiator mouthpiece, and I was astounded at how cheap it looked next to the proformance piece. I’ll definitely look into these once I need a new one.
I used to never use a mouthguard, I always found them uncomfortable…needless to say
I have 3 crowns where I broke teeth, each crown is roughtly 5 – 10 times the cost of a custom
mouthguard.. plus they help reduce concussive injuries
good review, do they do a thecagedoor.net version?
We do a “whatever, however, whenever” version…including tcd version!
The can actually put anything you want on it.
Im getting my second guard from these guys now… so obviously i am pleased i wouldn’t be shelling out my money unless the first one was good. its absolutely the best guard ive used. For those who aren’t as familier with mouth guards heres a few key points:
1. breathing with a custom guard from Proformance is as easy as breathing without one.
2. Protection is top level with these guys and the helps prevent KO’s as well as chipped teeth.
3. Anyone can make a custom mouth guard….not everyone can make one well. I can make a custom guard for you fight now with plywood…its custom….but it sucks. These guys have spent the time and Kyle is a dentist so his understanding of whats important for the guard to work well is there.
4. the care and attention to detail is another area where these guys shine. All the companies ive dealt with before havne’t measured up to Proformance gurads.
5. For casual people they are the best equipment you can buy. it lasts a very long time, even for casual bjj it will prtect the accidental tooth chip or loss and one dentist vist for that this thing has already been more than paid for. Foot ball players in HS and College and kids playing soccer and doing any contact sport should have one. Its a cheap investment for quality care and these guys are doing it better than anyone else is.
These guards are like one big great p^& ready to get F(*^. I got my first proformance guard made right before my last fight and hell yeah. Sean and Kyle were great. Went to their office and they made that motha fit to perfection. Heck, it saved me from getting really leveled after Jeff tagged me many times. I will def. recommend to any body that practices ANY contact sport…
i have had a gladiator guard mouthpiece and now a proformance. there is no comparison, proformance is hands down the best mouthpiece for combat sports that there is…period.
Jeremy Mahon
IVoz
ProFormance Mouth Guards are the best in the business, hands down. I have had every kind of mouth guard available. ProFormance Mouth Guards quality and functionality are far superior to any I have have purchased or had made. I have been punched by the best around and my pearly white are still intact. I recommend a ProFormance Mouth Guard to my MMA schools and friends in every contact sport. It’s a small invest with huge returns.
Can u put machado is hot on there ..if u can I will b there next week…drew u want me to get one for u….
Nothing is impossible…it just costs more…for Drew…double
machado you savage… Ill even wear a picture of you on my shorts. I guess id have to wear some skin tight ones though.
Awesome product! This is one piece of equipment that is really an asset. No local ammy or pro should be without one.
I agree with everything stated above. Fantastic guards and fantastic customer service.
For my original guard I asked for one that looked like the Texas Flag. This was a unique design that made them try a new way to make the guard and different paint techniques.
I wore it for a few months and it fit perfectly. However, some of the paint started to tub off under the clear coat.
No biggie but I informed the guys at proformance and they said that was unacceptable. Shaun spent a few weeks trying different things and was able to make me a new Texas Flag mouthguard and solved the paint issue. Hr did this all at no charge to me. Now its in their advertisement photos!
I’ve had my new guard for a couple months and I couldn’t be happier. I can teach with it still in and I can breath normally when training/ fighting.
These guys are willing to try new and innovative things and stand by there product 100%
That’s something that is hard to find.
my name is brandon mullins, i am a black belt in bjj,i am a NO GI world and pan american champion at black belt. i use proformance mouth guards. proformance mouth guards are by far the best mouth guard i have ever used. they fit great and feel great. the construction makes them easy to breath while in your mouth and the snug fit keeps it secure in your mouth even when your mouth is open. for me there is only one choice for mouth guards..proformance mouth guards.
if youve been training in any type of sport and have been using the boil and bite mouthguards like i did for many years, when you put your proformance guard on for the first time, the very first thing that comes to mind is “wow! ive been very stupid all this time ive trained with these crappy mouthguards!” you feel the protection,quality,and performance imediately! but most importantly your mouth feels very well protected! these guys do excellent work and very well worth the investment!
Best mouthguard out there. Worth every dollar.
Absolutely the best mouth guard I had used, by far!!!
I’m very satisfied with the quality of the product and the professional service from their team.
From the very first time I put my guard in I was immediately hooked, captured and submitted
Easy to breath, easy to talk, comfortable, I can’t ask for anything else on a mouth guard!
I love my Proformance Custom Guard. Although I am not a MMA Fighter of any kind, I have been playing ice hockey all my life and continue at the college level. Up until about last year I have been using only boil and bite type of mouth guards. This last year however I switched to a Proformance guard and I will never go back. The process of creating your custom guard is really easy and those guys definitely know what they are doing. You can tell them any kind of design you would like and they turn it into reality. The mouth guards don’t only look cool but they function great as well. With other types of mouth guards it never fit quite right and it was very hard to breathe with while skating. Now with my Proformance guard I can breathe perfectly and fits perfectly. I also feel comfortable and safe wearing it in a very physical sport. I recommend Proformance guards to anyone who plays a contact sport or competes in mma. They are defintely at the top of the market when it comes to mouth guards.
All my fights have proformance mouth guard and every one say the same thing its the best mouth guard they own
These guys are the official Mouth guard of MTW and The WGC. Best think on the market.
Brett Boyce
I love my proformance mouth guard!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I will never wear any other mouth guard ever agin! You guys have a great product that mma fighters can rely on! Thank you for helping me keep all my teeth!!!!!!!!!!
How is the protection for the bottom teeth? This where I have had more problems with other “custom” mouth guards, does this protect from the lip over the bottom teeth/bite down situation if you happen to have your mouth open due to piss poor cardio and get tagged?
There is alwasy a scenario where something can happen but it would require curling your lower lip inside your mouth in order to cut your lowerlip on your teeth. AS far as protecting your lower teeth it doesnt’ actually cover them but it does cushion the impact if you get caught with your mouth open. The only scenario i can figure where you could cut your lower lip on your lower teeth is if a person has a nervous reaction of biting over their lower lip or rolling the lower lip under as a muscluar reaction to the effort. In that case its a special issue and if uncorrectable through conscious effort to address the lip position then i would suggest talking to Sean or Kyle as i bet they could create a solution to your problem that would keep with the proformance tradition. Its the advantage of having a dentist coupled with an combat sports player workign together on mouth guards. maybe a mini mold for the lower front teeth???
Thanks Drew, couldnt have said it better myself. Its true if you have a special request or need we can work with you on a one to one basis to make you the guard exactly to suite your needs. However we do not fabricate upper/lower guards, here is Dr. Kyles response to your question as to why, feel free to contact us if you have any more questions:
Great question…. I will try and sum it up the best I can without being too wordy. Most people’s natural bite is a bite where the upper teeth overlap their lower teeth. The customized mouthguard that we make is bulky enough to allow for protection of the upper teeth as well as the lower. A person’s natural response, unless they are knocked out, is to clench down when they are getting hit allowing for this protection. When a person gets hit with our mouthguard , the hit is absorbed and transmitted over a larger surface area, allowing the energy to disperse so much that it protects your facial structures as well as your brain. The dual arch mouthguards that are seen are usually just boil and bites with a lower shield. The fact that they don’t fit to every individual tooth and their surrounding structures allows for similar movement that you would experience with a boil and bite. These upper/lower guards dont allow for a TRUE clinching of the jaw which activates the accessory muscles in the neck used to prevent you from getting rocked, which leads to knock outs as well as concussions. I’ve seen a substantial amount of teeth and surrounding structures get broken because of improperly fitted mouthguards. The thickness on the biting surface of the guard is also important in helping prevent concussions. When you boil and bite into those guards you virtually lose the thickness required for this protection. And, of course, breathing is also another issue that you would encounter with the dual arch guards.
Best Regards,
Dr. Kyle Aaron DDS
281.332.1919
I just wore my ProFormance Gaurd for the first time this morning, and I honestly prefer it over my other mouth guards now. I have had other custom gaurds and I am not one to boost egos. Proformance is the best one. I literally felt nothing in my mouth, it fits perfectly. To be honest I was a bit worried cuz I thought it might be to big after trying it on quite a few times.. but when it came time to train it was right on point.
Can’t go wrong with proformance mouthguards.
Sean and Kyle are the best. They made sure every detail was taken care of. ProFormance Guards not only look good but they fit perfect. Great guard period!
I dont know what i was thinking only using $1 mouth guards from walmart haha there is no comparison. I havent got to show off my guard at a fight yet but i think my opponents at bjj tournaments definitely get a kick out of my “KA CHAW!” mouth piece lol thanks a lot ProFormance!! never going back
I got my custom mouthpiece through Proformance and I have never been a mouthpiece kind of person but this one made me change my mind..it so comfortable and the kid students thought that the fangs were awesome. They can customize anything you can think of..awesome product and I need to get you guys out here cuz I know a lot of guys want them out here in baytown