Gladiator vs Mighty ?

 Icedog I have a question. I have $ to spend on in my flexible spending account (FSA). What is the difference between a occlusion mouthguard and your guards, or is there a difference. I want to order two with my FSA $, they say occlusion guards are covered. Otherwise I have to buy $1000 worth of band-aids and OTC medicine, to spend it all by dec 31st, otherwise I lose it. Would rather spend it on something I can actually use. Thanks for the help.

NCAA92 -  Icedog I have a question. I have $ to spend on in my flexible spending account (FSA). What is the difference between a occlusion mouthguard and your guards, or is there a difference. I want to order two with my FSA $, they say occlusion guards are covered. Otherwise I have to buy $1000 worth of band-aids and OTC medicine, to spend it all by dec 31st, otherwise I lose it. Would rather spend it on something I can actually use. Thanks for the help.


 From what you are saying I gather what they want you to spend your money on is a night guard, an appliance that stops you from grinding your teeth while you sleep. I guess that any mouthguard would accomplish this task, it may be important what it is called in invoicing not sure. An occlusion mouthguard would generally have a hard outer shell to let your teeth slide around.

icedog11 - 
NCAA92 -  Icedog I have a question. I have $ to spend on in my flexible spending account (FSA). What is the difference between a occlusion mouthguard and your guards, or is there a difference. I want to order two with my FSA $, they say occlusion guards are covered. Otherwise I have to buy $1000 worth of band-aids and OTC medicine, to spend it all by dec 31st, otherwise I lose it. Would rather spend it on something I can actually use. Thanks for the help.

 From what you are saying I gather what they want you to spend your money on is a night guard, an appliance that stops you from grinding your teeth while you sleep. I guess that any mouthguard would accomplish this task, it may be important what it is called in invoicing not sure. An occlusion mouthguard would generally have a hard outer shell to let your teeth slide around.


I love lab guys. Compliant mouthguards (i.e., soft appliances like sports mouthguards) have been proven to INCREASE bruxing (clenching & grinding). These guards protect the teeth, but can seriously damage the TM joints if worn at night.

Your FSA will probably cover either one if it's invoiced correctly...the codes are D9940 for an occlusal guard (nightguard for bruxing) and D9941 (athletic mouthguard). If Gladiator or one of the other labs can invoice using these codes, then your FSA will work. Oh--wait...they can't because those are DENTAL codes and it would be illegal to use them without a license to practice dentistry.

Go to a dentist if you want to use your FSA.

 Icedog can it be invoiced that way through your company?

dentalninja - 
icedog11 - 
NCAA92 -  Icedog I have a question. I have $ to spend on in my flexible spending account (FSA). What is the difference between a occlusion mouthguard and your guards, or is there a difference. I want to order two with my FSA $, they say occlusion guards are covered. Otherwise I have to buy $1000 worth of band-aids and OTC medicine, to spend it all by dec 31st, otherwise I lose it. Would rather spend it on something I can actually use. Thanks for the help.


 From what you are saying I gather what they want you to spend your money on is a night guard, an appliance that stops you from grinding your teeth while you sleep. I guess that any mouthguard would accomplish this task, it may be important what it is called in invoicing not sure. An occlusion mouthguard would generally have a hard outer shell to let your teeth slide around.





I love lab guys. Compliant mouthguards (i.e., soft appliances like sports mouthguards) have been proven to INCREASE bruxing (clenching & grinding). These guards protect the teeth, but can seriously damage the TM joints if worn at night.



Your FSA will probably cover either one if it's invoiced correctly...the codes are D9940 for an occlusal guard (nightguard for bruxing) and D9941 (athletic mouthguard). If Gladiator or one of the other labs can invoice using these codes, then your FSA will work. Oh--wait...they can't because those are DENTAL codes and it would be illegal to use them without a license to practice dentistry.



Go to a dentist if you want to use your FSA.
curious what does a night guard & mouthguard from your office generally run?



We make a hard soft night guard for  $125.

and a heat and a pressure laminate mouthguard for $50 .



NCAA92 obviuosly is not in the market for a night guard but a athletic mouthguard, I explained the difference in my post.



It is the arrogance of your profession that makes my company so successful.

 

Yeah, I'm arrogant and you're the one who thinks he knows more about taking care of people's teeth than someone who went to school for 9 years & has been practicing clinically for 5 years.

How much time do you spend with the patient to ensure he/she is getting the right appliance for his/her needs? How much time you spend examining the occlusion, TM joints, and teeth? The answer is none, right?

FYI, my sports mouthguards are $190.00 and my nightguards can be $250-$500, depending on the patient's symptoms and amount of adjustment necessary.

Both types can be paid for in full using flexible spending accounts. Insurance sometimes pays for the full amount. That means that patients with good insurance may pay nothing out-of-pocket.

Yeah, I'm arrogant and you're the one who thinks he knows more about taking care of people's teeth than someone who went to school for 9 years & has been practicing clinically for 5 years.



Never claimed to know more about taking care of people teeth than a dentist, just more about mouthguards



the mouthguards are made by you or a outside vendor, vacuum form or heat and pressure laminate?



How many do you do a year?



Member of the academy of sports dentstry ?



lecture on mouthguard construction and design parameters for different sports, to your proffesion?



Involved with university neurological departments studies on concussion prevention and mouthguards.



Studies with manufactures on mouthguard material and design effect on force time trace?



We are the single largest repository of information on mouthguards and their design. No one else makes enough and track the data to be statistically relevent. Your peers seek out information from me.

 

I make my own mouthguards; for people in sports involving regular blows to the face, I laminate material to a processed orthodontic resin shell that fits over the teeth. This shell acts as a splint to dissipate force, whereas regular mouthguards only protect the lips as you stated. I make approximately 50 of these per year and none of my patients have sustained trauma to teeth protected by one of my appliances, including myself & I participate in boxing & judo. I am a member of the ASD. I have lectured to dental students & peers on laminate vs. vacuum vs. boil & bite mouthguards. I am an LVI graduate and take into account neuromuscular aspects of occlusion with regard to concussion prevents and performance maximization.
You've got me on the studies...that's for lab people & researchers. I'm a clinician.

Oh, and from the ASD's website:
What are the best mouthguards?

The position of the Academy for Sports Dentistry is that to be adequate, a mouthguard must be properly fitted and properly worn. In order to ensure a proper fit, a mouthguard is best fitted by a DENTAL PROFESSIONAL. It is generally accepted that a custom fitted mouthguard fabricated over a dental cast of the athlete's teeth will give the best fit.

"A mouthguard made by a DENTAL PROFESSIONAL can also tailor the mouthguard to the demands of the athlete and the sport. Speech requirements, individual occlusal differences and relative dental and concussion injury risks of each sport can only be customized by fabricating an individual mouthguard. It is difficult to see how an over- the-counter mouthguard can fill all of an athlete's requirements without being checked and adjusted by an informed DENTAL PROFESSIONAL."

Morgz is so controversial.

dentalninja - I make my own mouthguards; for people in sports involving regular blows to the face, I laminate material to a processed orthodontic resin shell that fits over the teeth. This shell acts as a splint to dissipate force, whereas regular mouthguards only protect the lips as you stated. I make approximately 50 of these per year and none of my patients have sustained trauma to teeth protected by one of my appliances, including myself & I participate in boxing & judo. I am a member of the ASD. I have lectured to dental students & peers on laminate vs. vacuum vs. boil & bite mouthguards. I am an LVI graduate and take into account neuromuscular aspects of occlusion with regard to concussion prevents and performance maximization.

You've got me on the studies...that's for lab people & researchers. I'm a clinician.



Oh, and from the ASD's website:

What are the best mouthguards?



The position of the Academy for Sports Dentistry is that to be adequate, a mouthguard must be properly fitted and properly worn. In order to ensure a proper fit, a mouthguard is best fitted by a DENTAL PROFESSIONAL. It is generally accepted that a custom fitted mouthguard fabricated over a dental cast of the athlete's teeth will give the best fit.



"A mouthguard made by a DENTAL PROFESSIONAL can also tailor the mouthguard to the demands of the athlete and the sport. Speech requirements, individual occlusal differences and relative dental and concussion injury risks of each sport can only be customized by fabricating an individual mouthguard. It is difficult to see how an over- the-counter mouthguard can fill all of an athlete's requirements without being checked and adjusted by an informed DENTAL PROFESSIONAL."
You use a vacuum form machine correct? So you use one design for everybody and a vastly inferior process



that is not what I said I said we make guards specifically for that issue to deal with school rules a heat and pressure laminted guard is the best protection for the teeth period



less than one days worth of production here



rather self serving don't ya think. Most members including your current and past president crowd us at meeting to ask how we make our guards. Then charge any where from $200 to $400 for a mouthguard. Well within the reach of parents of teens. FSA will not cover mouthguards nor will insurance so its out of pocket

  

No, I don't use a vacuum machine for my sports mouthguards. Read the first sentence of my post.

No, I don't use one design for everyone...hence the clinical exam, which you cannot do.

Self serving? What are you talking about? The only reason you are allowed to do what you do is because your products don't require any adjustment due to the compliance of the material. My mouthguards require adjustment (and a dental visit) due to the orthodontic resin used on the inside, and my price is warranted because my guards protect teeth as well as soft tissue.

I have stated before that you make a quality product. So do I. It is unfair for you to attack me because of the behavior of certain other members of my profession. Your product works for most people, but you don't have to spend time examining them...which adds to overhead, but I believe is indispensable in making a product 100% appropriate to the individual.

dentalninja - No, I don't use a vacuum machine for my sports mouthguards. Read the first sentence of my post.



No, I don't use one design for everyone...hence the clinical exam, which you cannot do.



Self serving? What are you talking about? The only reason you are allowed to do what you do is because your products don't require any adjustment due to the compliance of the material. My mouthguards require adjustment (and a dental visit) due to the orthodontic resin used on the inside, and my price is warranted because my guards protect teeth as well as soft tissue.



I have stated before that you make a quality product. So do I. It is unfair for you to attack me because of the behavior of certain other members of my profession. Your product works for most people, but you don't have to spend time examining them...which adds to overhead, but I believe is indispensable in making a product 100% appropriate to the individual.
and a dental visit

just this warrants your fee alone, its the biggest fact that make my company viable



my guards protect teeth as well as soft tissue.


so do mine, 2 type III Ellis fractures, in 10 years and 100k+ mouthguards



send me an E-mail to johnh@customguards.com I'll send you some abstracts and product names that explain how to achieve the same results without using ortho resins, will save you tons of time and adjustments. you can get these result only with a biostar or dreve equvillent equipment. Should make your guard alot thinner as well increasing compliance.

 

 For what it's worth, I recently had two crowns installed on upper molars, one on each side.  Since my Gladiator Guard had been made about 8 or 9 months prior, I was concerned that once my permanent crowns were installed, my guard might not fit as well.  I mentioned to my dentist that I had two Gladiator Guards, and he advised me to bring them with me on my final crown appointment.  He took the time to make sure the crowns fit both of my mouthgaurds.  I believe this required some minor manipulation with a grinder tool of some sort (I am guessing he used a grinder as I was in the chair).  Regardless, he was able to manipluate my Gladiator Guards just slightly so that they still fit perfectly over my new crowns and the rest of my teeth.  The reason I type all of this is also to say that my Dentist was very impressed with my Gladiator Guards.  He offers a sports guard in his office for $325, and I am pretty sure he just does the mold and then sends it out to vendor for the actual guard to be made, then does a final fitting in the office.  All that said, he happily admitted that my guard appeared to be every bit as good as the ones he makes.  I spent less than $100 on BOTH of my Gladiator Guards ( I had supplied my own mold on my original order so that helped th price). 

CJJScout - Morgz is so controversial.
Yeah, chicks dig me!

 

 I will try to get Derek from Mighty to comment on this.

 Sweet.  I'd love to hear their input -- especially regarding the customization process.

Bah, he will probably comment tomorrow.

 awesome ttt for Canada