1.   Always wear appropriate gear, including helmets, padding and mouth guards.

2.   Although mouth guards can prevent dental injuries that occur during contact sports, a University of Minnesota study says that few athletes are wearing them.

3.   But he was biting through his mouth guard when he threw that splintered bat in the direction of Mike Piazza.

4.   But the competition, known as ultimate or extreme fighting, is back, and this time its practitioners are protected by more than just mouth guards.

5.   Dentists are much more concerned about the do-it-yourself bleaching kits, which contain trays resembling mouth guards that fit over the teeth.

6.   Each time Clemens throws a fastball, the effort causes his lips to part and bears his teeth, his mouth guard visible in a menacing grimace.

7.   Forget protective helmets, face masks or mouth guards.

8.   From youth leagues to professional ones, LaFontaine stressed the importance of wearing mouth guards and more protective helmets.

9.   Go ahead, name another baseball player who wears a mouth guard.

10.   High school and college football and hockey players have long accepted the requirement that they wear mouth guards to protect their teeth.