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Wow, the two things I'm most interested in on a daily basis, dentistry AND marathoning. In one? How?
Well, it all started when a friend of mine in the dental industry (uber Prosthodontist from Florida, I will leave him nameless until his big announcement next month) emailed several people (including me) a continuing education article that he contributed to that will be published next month in a professional dental magazine.
The focus of the supplement was a new category of dental products:
Performance Enhancing Mouthwear
You're probably wondering what that is, and I was too! Basically its an oral appliance that enhances human performance, decreases stress, and improves strength. As I read more about this, I thought, "I want one of these to help with my running!" Luckily I am shamelessly never afraid to ask for someone to give me something, and as luck would have it my dental friend was willing to have a complimentary guard made for me. Score!
I went in for my 6-month exam at my dentist's this past Tuesday and had impressions made while I was there. On Wednesday I FedEx'ed the impressions to the Bite Tech lab, and on Friday a package arrived for me at work containing my new mouthwear. Wow that was fast! It felt like my birthday all over again! I love it when my birthday lasts all month. :o)
Edge Sports Performance Mouthwear
Two Mouthwear Styles Included
When I opened the package and saw the two cases inside, I assumed one was for upper and one was for lower, especially since they looked a bit different. One had full coverage of the lingual and buccal (tongue/cheek) surfaces of the teeth and the other was missing the center lingual portion. It turns out they are both lower appliances and I'm assuming that the one with the missing central lingual area is designed for occasions where you want to be able to engage in a conversation without lisping like Cindy from the Brady Bunch. This version is the one that I decided to try out for my morning run today.
I put it in and it felt similar to the night guard I wear to sleep. I noticed when I tried to bite down though that its wedge shape kept my mouth "open" a bit differently. As far as running goes the angle and opening was perfect for mouth breathing while running. (I'm guilty of being a chronic mouth breather! Years of growing up with allergies have created that bad habit. I kind of huff and puff like a choo-choo train. Oh well...)
Close-up Of the Mouthwear
Anyways, I did a quick 3 mile run and felt great during the run, but it was hard to discern if there was a marked improvement from the appliance on such a short workout. I think the best test of this new piece of gear will be my next track workout on Tuesday and my subsequent long runs coming up in the next several weeks as I start to ramp my mileage back up to prepare for the Marine Corps Marathon.
Do I Look Faster Yet?
Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings
(If it works for him it should work for me right?)
(If it works for him it should work for me right?)
A random but cool thing that was also include with my mouthwear was a "Dream Capsule". The box included a small metal tin with a capsule on a chain and the following instructions: "Write your dream, wear your dream, live your dream." I thought that this was a pretty neat little extra to include with the package, so I of course wrote down my dream! (Well, my running dream.) I wrote it down on the slip of paper that was included, rolled it up, and sealed it in my mini capsule. Hopefully in the next few years it will come true.
Anyways, if you want to find out more about this cool new dental and sports innovation, you can find out more on the Edge Sports website: http://www.edgesports.com.
Thanks again Dr. B for hooking me up!
