Breaking the mold
Thanks to breakthrough-performance mouthwear, available exclusively through Patterson Dental, dentists are providing patients with greater performance capabilities
There's a new category in athletic mouthwear that can protect athletes and enhance performance, and it's only available to the public through authorized dental providers. Minnesota Wild hockey team dentist Dr. Kyle Edlund thinks Under Armour Performance MouthwearTM Powered by ArmourBiteTM Technology is somewhat miraculous. Not only do his patients love the product, reporting on its strength-increasing and stress-reduction benefits, he's seeing benefits as a dental provider as well. From increased margins to being a select provider in his area, he's seen as forward-thinking and committed to expert care. "If people start to see that Under Armour logo in your office, they start asking questions," Edlund says.
More than 1,000 professional and college athletes currently use the product, and the numbers are growing as awareness increases. "Kids who have routinely not wanted to wear mouthguards come in and say, 'Hey, I want that Under Armour Performance Mouthwear,'" Edlund says. Bob Molhoek, CEO of Bite Tech, the Minneapolis firm that created the product, says the mouthwear technology is based on the age-old concept of biting down on something to decrease the body's stress response - think soldiers biting the bullet during surgery. Under Armour Performance Mouthwear is engineered to enhance athletic performance, protect from injury and reduce stress experienced during exercise of all kinds. The product does this with the proprietary Power WedgeTM, an impenetrable bite plate that optimally positions the jaw forward and down.
According to Molhoek, there are three main mechanisms at work when Under Armour Performance Mouthwear is put to the test. First, it stops teeth clenching - the body's fight-or-flight response to stress. So when an athlete bites down on the wedges, he is interrupting the body's production of the stress hormone cortisol, which is responsible for distraction. Second, the mouthwear enlarges the airway opening, allowing more oxygen into the lungs. And third, the mouthwear disengages the condyle from the fascia, which may help prevent concussions from certain types of impact to the jaw.
Research has shown that Under Armour Performance Mouthwear increases strength, endurance, concentration and reduces recovery time. Just ask anyone who uses it. "I'm able to sustain longer workouts and have noticed a significant improvement in my balance," says Bernard Berrian, wide receiver for the Minnesota Vikings football team. Previously, he used a regular molded mouthguard or chewed gum, which didn't provide any additional performance benefits. After wearing the mouthwear for one year for practices and games, however, he says he won't go without it. "I took a hard hit at the end of the season last year, and had I been using a standard mouthpiece or none at all, I would have suffered a concussion," Berrian says.
No athletes who use Under Armour Performance Mouthwear, including Berrian, are paid to do so. In fact, Molhoek says many pro athletes have become investors in the technology.
Bite Tech not only attracted the best athletes, but also the best brands, like Under Armour, a performance apparel company based in Baltimore, Md. "We tried to find the right partners to launch this technology," says Molhoek, whose company has been researching and developing the product for 15 years. "For us, Under Armour was the perfect fit - it is the most innovative technology and performance brand in sports."
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