Care Tips For Your Custom Mouthguard

That custom-fitted mouthguard you’ve invested in is now an essential part of your kit.

It’s been moulded precisely to one of the most important players on the team – you.

But achieving that perfect fit was only the beginning… Like any piece of high-performance gear, its effectiveness now depends entirely on how well you look after it.

This is our professional guide to proper mouthguard care.

A mouthguard often ends its life at the bottom of a dark, damp sports bag. We see the impact of poor hygiene all the time:

• It’s a Breeding Ground for Germs: Without daily cleaning, a mouthguard collects bacteria, plaque, and even mould. That’s the last thing you want in your mouth before a big game…
• A Damaged Guard is a Useless Guard: Once a mouthguard is warped, cracked, or thinning, it cannot absorb impact the way it was designed to. Its protective ability is gone.
• Your Investment Lasts Longer: Custom guards are built to be durable, but they need help staying that way. Simple care prevents the material from degrading, so you get season-long protection for your money.
• A Clean Guard Gets Worn: No athlete wants to put a foul-tasting, gritty mouthguard in. A clean, comfortable guard is one that actually stays in the mouth, where it can do its job.

At the end of a long training session or a tough match, the last thing on anyone’s mind is mouthguard hygiene. But a quick, two-minute routine here is what separates a guard that lasts a season from one that’s binned in a month. These small habits are the foundation of good mouthguard care…

After Every Use

This is non-negotiable. Before it goes anywhere near a kit bag:

• Rinse It: Use cool running water. Never use hot water (it will warp the custom fit instantly). We see this happen all the time, and it’s an expensive mistake to make.
• Brush It: With a soft-bristled toothbrush (not your regular one), gently clean all the surfaces with a mild soap or a specific mouthguard cleaner. Skip the toothpaste. It’s too abrasive and will create tiny scratches where germs can hide and multiply.
• Dry It: Let it air dry completely on a clean surface before storing it away.

Weekly Deep Clean

Once a week, you need to sanitise your mouthguard to deal with the stubborn bacteria a quick rinse can’t shift. This is key to preventing odours and staining.

Soak the mouthguard in a specialist mouthguard cleaning solution or an effervescent denture cleaner for about 30 minutes. These products are designed to disinfect without damaging the material. Afterwards, give it one final rinse and let it dry.
Easy.

Most mouthguards aren’t damaged during play. They’re crushed in kit bags, chewed by the family dog, or warped on car dashboards.

This is why every mouthguard we supply at Mobile Mouthguards comes in a firm, ventilated case. The vents allow air to circulate, preventing mould from growing in a dark, damp container.

Keep the case clean and always store it in a cool, dry place. A hot car is a mouthguard’s worst enemy.