11.   Kids should wear a safe helmet that is properly fastened, and a mouth guard, which defuses impact.

12.   Mouth guards take their places over braces.

13.   Most dentists will custom-mold mouth guards.

14.   Not your standard transparent mouthpieces, but the colored mouth guards that many athletes are now wearing as part of their ready-to-tear ensemble.

15.   None of the athletes who used mouth guards reported any injuries.

16.   No, they griped about the medically advisable treatments that their dentists prescribed, especially gum surgeries and mouth guards.

17.   Open it and out tumbles a rock-climbing harness, ski wax, a headlamp and a mouth guard.

18.   Participants cited discomfort, breathing and speech impairment, lack of retention, and peer pressure as reasons for disliking mouth guards.

19.   The amount of time the mouth guard is worn and the treatment period varies.

20.   The mouth guard is worn during the day or night for about two weeks.