Does having 45 boys ages 16 and 17 in your office on a mid-summer Wednesday evening sound like your idea of fun? What if their parents were with them and they were in your office to have impressions taken for the NFL-quality mouth guards we are making for them? Well, that’s exactly what happened last night in my dental office.
This is the fifth year that my dental office (LifeSmiles Dental Care) has volunteered to make the mouth guards for the Chaparral High School Football Team. The technique that we use was taught to us by the late Dr. Derric DesMarteau, the former team dentist of the NFL Oakland Raiders and the NBA Golden State Warriors. The technique is a dual-layer guard that is thick enough to provide great protection, yet not bulky. They fit perfectly because each one is a custom made from the boy’s impression. We make them in the school colors and we place the boy’s name, number and our practice logo on the mouth guards. Pardon my bias, but these mouth guards look awesome!!
Consider making the impression evenings a social event by inviting the cheerleaders and the Booster Club. You can decorate the office in the High School colors and wear Football team T-Shirts to show your support. We make brownies and lemonade for refreshments after their impressions are taken. We provide each boy with a gift bag with a couple of toothbrushes, sample size toothpaste, mouth rinse, floss, our practice brochure and a Special Coupon offering savings on whitening (before their yearbook photos!). We also include a letter letting them know that we welcome new patients and inviting them into our practice.
This has been a great marketing project for us. But more importantly, we have a great time doing this and it is such a wonderful feeling to give something back to our community. Coach Charlie Ragle told us that prior to us making the mouth guards for his team the boys wore the standard ‘boil and bite’ mouth guards and he said it was a struggle to get the boys to wear them because they didn’t fit well. Charlie tells us that the boys love these custom mouth guards and he has no trouble getting the boys to wear these. We are passionate about teeth and protecting the teeth of these young men is a source of pride for us! By the way, Chaparral High School Football Team was 14-0 last year and won the Arizona State Championship. Hmmmm…….I wonder what role our mouth guards played?
Here is a resource page providing more details and specific products we use for this project:
Consider doing a project like this for your community. When you do give to others, I am never sure who wins more; the people doing the giving or those who receive the benefits of your kindness. Keep smiling!
