Dr Bixby’s Pure Power Mouthguard

By: Diana Palotas

Mover over steroids and HGH. A mouth guard may give you the edge you’re looking for.

Most kids who play contact sports must wear a mouth guard to protect their teeth. Could such an appliance be a performance enhancer as well?

Steve Smith of the Panthers thinks so. So does fellow teammate Jake DelHomme. They are two of the 150 professional and collegiate athletes trying out the new Pure Power Edge Mouth Guard. It was invented by a Canadian dentist and now fitted by Rochester’s Doctor Paul Sussman.

The Edge is based on this principle:

“Extend your arms out and I am going to try and push down as hard as I can. It doesn’t take that much effort,” Dr. Sussman said.

Then I put two cotton rolls into my mouth to bite down on and he tries again.

“I want you to resist as hard as you can,” said Dr. Susman. “It’s taking some of the stress out of your jaw. Your teeth are not coming together.

The science behind the mouth guard says it helps your jaw come forward and opens up your airway.

Jim Nonnemacher is having a new mouth guard made.

By using electrical stimulation to the muscles, they can see on the scans where Nonnemacher’s jaw muscles are in their most relaxed position. An unrelaxed jaw can lead to headaches or worn or broken teeth.

“It improves the muscle alignment,” Dr. Sussman said. “It takes the tension and the torque out of your jaw so your muscles are more harmonious and it opens up your airway.

Sussman says some athletes have seen a 25 percent improvement in their performance.

The Pure Power Edge Mouth Guard runs $800to $1,600 and it can only be found at specially trained dentists.