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Dentist's invention making an impression
By Julie Ann Nevero
jnevero@cnc.com
It's every parent's worst nightmare.
They're sitting on the sidelines, watching their son or daughter's sports game and observe him/her take a hard hit. They look on in anguish as the athlete lies dazed on the ground, surrounded by trainers trying to snap him/her
out of it. After a few minutes, the athlete is helped off the field, but is seeing stars every step of the way.
It's later learned the athlete suffered a mild concussion, he/she's awake and alert, and it's ruled he/she can return to play. But a local dentist is saying the injury doesn't stop there. Even the mildest of concussions, Dr. Gerald
Maher said, can lead to problems later in life.
But he's developed a product that he says will prevent scenes like this from ever happening again. The Maher Mouth Guard was developed by the 59-year-old South Weymouth dentist in 1978, but has only recently garnered national attention.
Maher's custom-fit mouthpiece is designed to stabilize the jaw on impact. Unlike traditional "boil and bite" mouthpieces that protect only the top teeth, Dr. Maher's product-made to fit like a retainer-sits on the lower back molars
and acts as a barrier between the jawbone and skull when an athlete takes a blow to the head.
The dentist takes a dental mold of each potential wearer and creates a custom mouth guard made of two acrylic pieces held together by stainless steel bands that rest behind the lower teeth. Athletes put the piece in at the start
of a game and don't have to take it out until the game is over, allowing for better communication on the field.
"It's the first piece of its kind to allow athletes to talk to each other on the field, drink water, and breathe easily without having to take the mouth guard out," said Mark Picot, executive vice president of MaherCor Laboratories,
LLC, the company working with Dr. Maher to mass produce the product.
Picot said MaherCor is currently training other dentists in the area to develop the product in their own communities. One of the ultimate goals, he says, is to have every kid on the playing field wearing a Maher Mouth Guard.
"Dr. Maher has never tried to mass produce the product until now," he said. "He sees that kids need this product to protect their still-growing brains and he wants to get it to them."
Concussions occur when the brain is rocked violently inside the skull due to a blow to the head or upper body. Approximately 10 percent of all athletes in contact sports suffer a concussion each season, according to the MaherCor
Labs Web site. Concussion can disturb brain activity and symptoms may include disorientation, confusion, dizziness, amnesia, uncoordinated hand-eye movements and sometimes unconsciousness.
Down the line, more serious problems can result from that same blow, the site maintains. They include: memory loss, depression, migraine headaches or even Alzheimer's disease.
"A kid who suffered a blow to the head in high school could be 50 years old and suffer more serious symptoms related to that same injury," Picot said.
The hope, Picot said, is that Dr. Maher's patented product will someday become covered under health insurance, but that won't occur until it's proven that it can be directly attributed to the prevention of concussions. Because
of this, studies have and are being conducted in an effort to give the product the credibility it deserves, Picot said.
One such study took place this past fall at Duxbury High School. Head football coach Dave Maimaron said too many of his athletes were coming off the field dizzy after taking a big hit. He heard about Maher's Mouth Guard, contacted
Dr. Maher, and had his starters outfitted with their own pieces at the start of the 2005 season.
The results: his starters sustained no concussions, went 13-0, and won the Div. 2A Super Bowl title.
As the New England Patriots dentist for more than 27 years, Dr. Maher has also outfitted several NFL players with his device and has seen similar results. Patriots players are quoted all over the MaherCor Labs Website, singing
the Maher Mouth Guard's praises.
"I previously had three concussions. I started wearing the Maher Mouth Guard three years ago and have not had a concussion since," said Patriots cornerback Asante Samuel. "I feel very comfortable wearing the Maher Mouth Guard and
recommend it for any contact sport. It is perfect."
While players of all contact sports could decrease their chances of sustaining concussions by wearing the Maher Mouth Guard, Picot said the device is most effective when worn in conjunction with a helmet.
"It's recommended most for kids who play football, hockey, and lacrosse," he said. "Once we're up and running, maybe we could work on another version (specifically for other sports). We recommend kids wear the Maher Mouth Guard
regardless."
While its Dr. Maher's contention that mouthpieces can prevent concussions, NFL executives to whom the MaherCor Labs company is pitching the product aren't yet willing to jump on board. The NFL currently does not require its athletes
wear mouth guards and 40 percent of them do not, according to the ESPN website.
In a February 2006 article in ESPN Magazine, it was reported that NFL clubs listed 203 concussions on weekly injury reports between the 2000-2003 seasons. Some teams listed more than others, the Indianapolis Colts saying they sustained
20. In that same time frame, the Patriots - most of whom wear Maher's mouthpiece - listed zero.
Yet the NFL is "looking for more science behind the theory," Picot said.
As a result, Picot said scientists at Harvard and the University of North Carolina have signed on to look into Dr. Maher's theory. The American Academy of Orofacial Pain Peer Reviewed Abstract on the MaherCor Website proposes the NFL conduct "a retrospective analysis
of NFL football players use of athletic mouth guards and the corresponding rate of orofacial injuries and concussions in those players using a mouth guard vs. not using a mouth guard." A comparison study between athletes wearing
maxillary (worn on the upper jaw) vs. mandibular (worn on the lower jaw) mouth guards and hard versus soft mouth guards as also requested.
Picot said MaherCor plans to seek grant money to conduct the aforementioned study by sending the American Academy of Orofacial Pain Peer Reviewed Abstract, the ESPN Magazine article, materials from the MaherCor website, and a letter of campaign to the NFL.
"Millions are being spent on something that will never be an aide to the prevention of concussion," Picot said. "Our product does, and it is proven over the last ten years with the Patriots. Compared to the League average, it's
astounding, yet the NFL wants some other type of study and are in disarray over the direction of the studies.
"We have Yale and Notre Dame very interested and the NFL suggested they may fund a study at ND," he added. Picot said he's hoping the product will get more even exposure when the Dr. Maher speaks at the New England Trainers Meeting
in April.
Until then, MaherCor will continue to certify local dentists to outfit any athlete who hopes to wear the Maher Mouth Guard and to market the product at area high schools.
"Barnstable High wants 300 for their kids and their athletes are petitioning Cape Cod Hospital for the money to do so," said Picot. "We want to show that each town can have this product in their schools."
For more information on the Maher Mouth Guard, visit www.mahercorlabs.com.
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Athletes involved in the
following sports are
advised to wear The
Maher Mouth Guard:
 Football
Hockey
Lacrosse
Basketball
Bicycling
Boxing
Martial Arts
Rugby
Soccer
Weight training
Wrestling
Our product is recommended for use with other head and mouth protection devices, such as a football helmet.
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