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Word of Mouth
By Ivette Ricco
"Protecting our players is primary".
These words are often spoken by coaches, team owners, doctors and trainers, in the sports world. And in fact were spoken by Tennessee Titans Coach Jeff Fisher as he explained certain rule changes made at this year's NFL owners
meeting in Orlando , Florida .
Football players are provided padding, special equipment and physical training to strengthen their bodies. They are also provided with special helmets to help minimize what has been a serious and often career-ending problem in
the NFL, concussions. But there is one part of the body that no amount of training or exercise can strengthen or protect, the brain.
Concussions are not just football's problem, these injuries occur throughout the world of sports, in hockey, boxing, basketball, soccer, wrestling, weight training, bicycling, martial arts, rugby and lacrosse.
Yet, it seems ironic that a simple device, which could prevent or minimize injuries to a player's brain has received so little attention. And so little support from the NFL community.
There is a company hoping to make a significant impact on the frequency and level of concussions and to provide NFL players with a viable option, that company is Mahercor Laboratories LLC. They have developed a mouth guard which
has proven to minimize or prevent concussions from blows to the jaw. Some players have even opted to purchase and use these mouth guards independent of the NFL. The NFL, whose own statistics warrant its use, has taken on the role
of the state of Missouri , saying "show me".
Researchers have found that the majority of concussions originate from blows to the jaw, the other types, blows to the crown of the head and whiplash account for about 35%.
With added pressure in the form of recent write-ups and media attention as well as an outcry from wives of NFL players it appears as if the NFL may have to fast-track its testing for the mouth guard. A study proposed with a crash
test dummy is being hastily designed to replicate the biomechanics of concussion in humans.
Excerpts: Courtesy of Mahercor Labs LLC
About Mahercor Labs
Since beginning work with the New England Patriots in 1979, Dr. Maher has learned about player complaints relating to existing mouth guards first-hand. Players expressed the need to be able to breathe, talk and drink with ease
and comfort, both from the sidelines as well as during play, without having to take out their mouth guard.
Based on scientific research by Jack Stenger at the University of Notre Dame . This revolutionary device not only held the jaw in place, but also allowed for continuation of common, everyday functions. After years of development,
the final product materialized: The Maher Mouth Guard is a simple mouthpiece molded from the player's jaw that rests on the back molars. The Maher Mouth Guard is comprised of an acrylic mold held together by small stainless steel
bands that hides behind the teeth and stabilizes the jaw on impact.
In forming Mahercor Laboratories LLC, our hope is to aid in the prevention of concussions, from blows to the jaw, for all athletes participating in contact sports, from professionals to youth players. For more information on The
Maher Mouth Guard, visit The Maher Mouth Guard page. www.mahercorlabs.com
About Dr. Gerald Maher
Gerald J. Maher, D.M.D., F.A.H.N.P.
Dr. Gerald J. Maher has practiced dentistry for more than 30 years. Specializing in TMJ and Facial Pain, Dr. Maher is a Fellow in the American Academy of Facial Pain. He received his D.M.D. from Tufts University School of Dental
Medicine in 1973 and became a team dentist for the New England Patriots in 1979. It was in this role that he was able to create and test The Maher Mouth Guard to meet the players' specific requests and needs.
About the Maher Mouth Guard
Many mouth guards have been created over the years, but The Maher Mouth Guard, developed by Dr. Gerald Maher, is the first to allow for comfortable breathing, speaking and drinking. This streamlined device, is similar to a retainer
and aids in the prevention of concussion from blows to the jaw, has come a long way from its cumbersome, bulky ancestors. The Maher Mouth Guard fits comfortably and covertly on the back molars and is comprised of an acrylic mold
held together by three small stainless steel bands that rests behind the teeth and stabilizes the jaw on impact. Dr. Maher, who has worked with the New England Patriots since the 1970s, specializes in protective athletic mouth
wear. His original idea came from work with Boxers, specifically "Marvelous Marvin Hagler". Together the discovered a way to counteract boxing's "Glass Jaw" phenomenon, why some boxers were susceptible to being knocked out.
Since developing this product, no NFL player wearing The Maher Mouth Guard has ever succumbed to a concussion from a blow to the jaw! The Maher Mouth Guard should be worn whenever there is a distinct possibility of contact with
any hard object, including: another person, a ball, puck or stick, a wall or even the ground.
About Concussions
What Is A Concussion?
Mild concussions may go unnoticed by coaches and teammates - even by the athletes themselves. A concussion is traumatic injury to the brain. It can cause immediate impairment of functions including vision, thought, consciousness
and balance, and even more serious permanent damage such as memory loss and depression.
For every concussion you get, you are FOUR TIMES more susceptible to get another!
Causes of a Concussion
Impact to the Jaw: If there is dislodged cartilage that acts as cushioning at the end of jawbone, force vectors can be directly transferred to the base of the skull where the bone is paper thin, the temporal lobe is just centimeters
away. This dangerous blow can disrupt brain function and activity causing a concussion as well as dizziness and the sensation of seeing stars along with other skull damage.
Forceful Blow to the Head: A concussion can take place when suffering a forceful blow to the head. When this happens, the head accelerates rapidly and is then suddenly stopped. Although head movement has halted, the brain, which
is floating in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), is shaken and hits the interior skull wall. The football helmet is designed to counteract this type of blow
Shaking: When the skull is moved vigorously or shaken side to side, the head moves rapidly and the brain, floating in CSF collides repeatedly into the skull walls. This constant repetitive motion can cause serious disorientation
and brain injury. Also, known as whiplash, this action can use the unstabilized jawbone as a slingshot and drive it into the skull base.
Long-Term Affects
According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, more than 2 million people will suffer a concussion this year. Many occur on athletic playing fields. It's important to know a concussion is a brain injury. These injuries
lead to an estimated 80,000 cases of long-term disability each year and claim nearly 50,000 lives.
a. Concussions are known to be cumulative. That is, for every concussion you get, you are two times then the second you are four times the third you are eight times and so on. Although proven in many studies the medical advisor
to the NFL disagrees and insists that return to play is only an issue in younger players. In Boxing a fighter must sit out a month with a concussion, football players are sent back in if they can communicate clearly.
b. Also, repeated concussions can lead to long-term memory loss, psychiatric disorders, and other neurological problems, depression, dementia, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's have all been linked.
c. If you have had a number of concussions, your physician likely will advise you to avoid the activities that may put you at risk for future head injuries and to discontinue contact sports. Professional boxers and football players
are particularly prone to the effects of cumulative concussions.
d. If a player has had prior concussion or has had dizziness or the sensation of seeing stars during contact, he should be fitted with this corrective measure. By orthopedically aligning the jaw, not only is the jawbone separated
from the skull base the discs of the upper spine and curve of the neck are affected. It is believed that the correct spacing between bone and nerve are contributing factors in reducing these symptoms of misalignment.
The chin strap is the only thing that holds the helmet on the players head. The player tightens it down to secure the helmet, in doing so he is jamming the TMJ against his skull, pinching the nerves and creating stress on the system.
Add to this, forceful blows to the facemask, or even worse unexpected hits that the player can not brace himself for.
The NFL has twenty five years of statistics along with medical records that prove the use of this mouth guard does not create any incidental damage and should recommend its use to any player with a history of or symptoms of jaw
derangement. Maybe after the prospective studies and academic approvals it could be mandated.
The NFL sets the tone for protocol in sports in the USA .
If you calculate the mild concussions that are not reported you would at least double the reported number. Cost is not a factor as the Maher Mouth Guard costs about the same as a custom mouth guard. But, that should not even be
an issue; how can anyone put a price on brain damage?
The NFL has done an excellent job of finding ways to protect their athletes but testing and using the Maher Mouth Guard, seems to me to be a "no-brainer".
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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