LaxTV Forums | A Forum About The MCLA

I am just curious about the new Shock Doctor mouthpieces that some kids have been wearing. These are different because they are worn on the lower jaw instead of the upper. The ruling says that the upper teeth must be totally covered, but I feel that this wording is inadequate, or written poorly. I feel this because the reason for wearing mouthguards in sports with face shields is to PREVENT CONCUSSIONS, not to protect your upper teeth (which is why the face shield comes in handy). The new shock doctor covers all lower teeth and is approved to prevent concussions the same as any other mouthguard at your local sporting goods store. How do the officials and lacrosse community feel about this issue?

I agree that the current wording about covering all the upper teeth was probably put in place before this new mouth guard was introduced, and that the wording was done to eliminate those mouthpieces that had been trimmed to cover the front four teeth at best. IMM, if this guard provides a cushion between all the teeth then it should be allowed.
This discussion has occured before, and some officials feel that it is not up to us to make our own interpretations, and that there could be liability issues associated with allowing this to be used until the rule is changed.