Double or Single Mouthguard For Boxing? | Comparisons

Mouthguards are important to use in many sports, but when it comes down to boxing, it’s essential. It cushions our teeth during impact, protects against jaw and neck injuries, not to mention the tongue.

It is clear that there are two types of mouthguards on the market, double and single, but the question is, which’s better for boxing?

Double Mouthguard Advantages

Requires to have your mouth closed at all times in order to keep the mouthguard in place. That’s actually a good thing as it reinforces the habit of always having your jaw tight, and that helps absorb shots better and reduce the chance of any damage to the head.

Often times the best choice for people who have braces – single mouthguards don’t cover any of the lower teeth, which means if you get punched close to the chin you might get your lips or inner mouth bruised.

Here’s one on Amazon (link) that i think is worth it’s money.

Single Mouthguard Advantages

The biggest advantage of a single mouthguard is that it won’t obstruct your breathing. Double mouthguards do have openings, but they are way too small to let in a good amount of air – during intense training sessions or fights you’ll have a hard time gasping for air, not to mention if your nose gets clogged from the punches you take.

It’s way easier to talk or even take a sip of a drink with. Having a double mouthguard means you will need to constantly take it on and off in order to do that, which can get quite annoying.

The only option to get if your lower teeth aren’t correctly aligned or as straight as the upper ones, unless you get the double mouthguard custom made.

Doesn’t collect any spit as you are always able to open your mouth freely.

Often cheaper.

Link to Amazon for the best single mouthguard, in my opinion.

In Conclusion

Personally me, and many other boxers agree that the best option is clearly the single version. If you don’t have braces then that’s really the only way to go – the double mouthguard is simply too much.

You might also consider getting the double kind if you’re just a beginner to get in the habit of keeping your jaw closed, but otherwise it’s unnecessary, in my opinion.

Some people swear that double mouthguards reduce the damage done to the brain by the punches as they cover more jaw area, but studies don’t really find that any true.

At the end of the day, majority of boxers use single mouthguards, so i guess that’s enough proof on what you should choose.

Additional notes

If you still want to use double mouthguards try getting two pieces of single ones and molding them separately for your upper and bottom teeth, then using them both during training. It will work similar to an actual double mouthguard  just that you will be able to breathe freely, although that can be more expensive.

Single or double, the best type of mouthguard is still a custom one. The boil and bite type can fit properly if done correctly, but the best fit nonetheless is achieved with the custom ones, but they do cost more. Many dentists in your area should offer this service, or you could try one’s online like MouthPieceGuy.

Get both a single and double mouthguard and try which one you’ll like the most.

If you do pay your dentist a visit and he ends up fixing your teeth, generally you’ll need to replace the mouthguard because of the changed contour.