Custom sports guard
Laminated EVA, around three to four millimetres over the front teeth, for most sports and most players. Available in a range of colours.
£125
Preventive dentistry · Wimpole Street, Marylebone
Custom sports mouthguards in Marylebone: made from your own teeth, not a boiled kettle
A front tooth knocked out on a rugby pitch or a hockey stick to the mouth is a lifetime of dentistry: a root canal if you are fortunate, an implant and crown if you are not, and either way repairs that will need replacing over the decades. A mouthguard is the only piece of kit that prevents it, and how well it does so depends on how well it fits. Shop-bought guards softened in hot water are thick where they should be thin, thin where they should be thick, and loose enough that players clench to hold them in or spit them out to breathe. A custom guard is pressure-formed on a model of your own teeth in a dental laboratory, so it grips without effort, spreads impact across the whole arch and lets you speak and breathe. At Wimpole Street a custom sports guard will be £125, and a thicker impact guard for heavy contact sports £175, made over two short visits.
- Custom guard £125
- Impact guard £175
- Two short visits
Suitability
Is it right for you?
A good fit when
- Rugby, hockey, boxing, martial arts, lacrosse and any sport where a stick, ball, elbow or floor can meet the face.
- Football, basketball and cycling, where collisions are less frequent but still common enough to justify protection.
- Children and teenagers in school sports, whose adult front teeth are newly erupted and irreplaceable.
- Anyone who has already had a front tooth crowned, bonded or replaced and cannot afford a second injury.
- Patients with fixed braces or a fixed retainer, for whom a guard also shields the lips from brackets and wire.
- Adults who bought a boil-and-bite guard and never wore it because it was uncomfortable.
Think twice, or choose another route, when
- Night-time grinding; a sports guard is soft and bulky and is the wrong appliance. A splint is used for that.
- Children whose teeth are changing rapidly may need a new guard each season, which is worth knowing before ordering the thicker version.
- Patients mid-way through aligner treatment, where the guard would fit today’s teeth and not next month’s; a temporary solution is discussed.
- Mouths with untreated decay or loose teeth, which should be sorted before impressions are taken.
The process
How it works at Wimpole Street
- 01
Check and impressions
A quick look at the teeth to confirm nothing needs treating first, then a digital scan or impression of the upper arch and a bite record. About ten minutes.
- 02
Laboratory fabrication
The laboratory pressure-forms layers of EVA material over a model of your teeth, thicker over the front teeth and biting surfaces, trimmed clear of the gum and palate for comfort and speech. Colours and patterns are chosen at the first visit.
- 03
Fitting
A week or two later the guard is tried in, checked for retention and even biting contact, and trimmed anywhere it rubs. You leave with the guard, a ventilated case and care instructions.
- 04
Seasonal review
Guards are checked at routine examinations for wear, splits and fit, particularly in growing children.
Choices
Options & materials
Impact guard
Thicker, multi-layer construction for boxing, martial arts and adult contact rugby, where blows are harder and more frequent.
£175
Guard over fixed braces
Made with space for brackets and adjusted as teeth move. Usually replaced during treatment.
£125
Fees
What it costs
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
Custom sports guard Scan or impression, laboratory fabrication, fitting and case. | £125 |
Impact guard Thicker construction for heavy contact sports. | £175 |
Replacement guard From a new scan if the teeth have changed. | £125 |
Examination £30 for new patients; £47.50 for children. | £95 |
Indicative Wimpole Street fees, the same as at South Kensington and St Paul's. A written plan with the exact figure is agreed before anything is started.
Outcomes
What the result looks like
A custom guard stays in place when the mouth is open, lets you shout to a team-mate and breathe hard, and absorbs and spreads a blow across the arch rather than transmitting it to one or two teeth. Laboratory testing and field studies consistently show fewer and less severe dental injuries in players wearing well-fitted guards than in those wearing shop guards or none, though no guard removes the risk entirely.
A guard lasts two to three seasons in an adult with normal wear; it is replaced sooner if it splits, thins over the front teeth, or if the teeth have moved or changed. Children usually need a new one every year or two as the mouth grows.
Afterwards
Looking after the result
- Rinse in cold water after use and brush occasionally with a soft brush and mild soap; hot water distorts it.
- Store in the ventilated case, out of direct sun and away from dogs, who find them irresistible.
- Do not chew on the guard between plays; it thins the material where it matters.
- Bring it to routine examinations so fit and wear can be checked.
- Replace it if it splits, feels loose or if new dental work changes your bite.
Informed consent
Risks and honest limitations
Every treatment has trade-offs. These are the ones we discuss at the consultation so that a decision is made with full information rather than after the fact.
- No mouthguard prevents every injury; teeth can still be damaged by a sufficiently hard blow, and jaw or soft-tissue injuries remain possible.
- A guard that is not cleaned harbours bacteria and can contribute to gum irritation.
- Growing children outgrow guards, and a tight or ill-fitting guard provides less protection and may be left in the kit bag.
- Very thick guards can affect breathing during high-intensity exercise; thickness is matched to the sport for this reason.
- Chewing the guard degrades it faster than the sport does.
FAQ
Questions patients ask
They are better than nothing, but they fit poorly, are uneven in thickness and are often too uncomfortable to keep in. A custom guard is formed on a model of your teeth, grips without clenching and is thick precisely where impacts land.
Two visits: ten minutes for the scan or impression, then a fitting one to two weeks later when the laboratory has made it.
Yes. Single colours, stripes and combinations are available; whole teams often order matching guards.
Yes. The guard is made with space for the brackets and protects the lips from them as well as the teeth. It will need replacing as the teeth move.
Adults every two to three seasons or when it wears, splits or loosens. Children and teenagers usually every year or two as the jaw grows and teeth change.
Yes, at South Kensington or St Paul’s now at the same fees, with the fitting or future replacements in Marylebone from 1 October 2026.
Keep reading
Related treatments and guides
Marylebone, W1
Sports guards at Wimpole Street from 1 October 2026
Register your interest and we will contact you as soon as the Marylebone diary is live. If you would rather start sooner, the same clinicians already see patients in South Kensington and at St Paul’s.
Opening 1 October 2026
Wimpole Street is not yet seeing patients. Until then, please book or call our South Kensington clinic on 020 7183 2362 or our St Paul's clinic on 020 7183 3709. Questions about the new clinic: wimpolestreet@md.co.uk.
Until we open
Need an appointment before 1 October 2026?
The same clinical team already works from two other Medical & Dental clinics. Book at either one now and, if you prefer, move your ongoing care to Wimpole Street once the doors open.
South Kensington
- 20 Old Brompton Road, London SW7 3DL
- Open seven days a week
- 020 7183 2362
St Paul's, City of London
- 5 Ave Maria Lane, London EC4M 7AQ
- Open Monday to Friday
- 020 7183 3709
