When your child begins playing full-contact rugby, a gum shield (or mouth guard) will become their most essential piece of equipment; It’s important to make sure to buy the best kids rugby gum shields to keep your child’s teeth safe!
Virtually all clubs demand their use because they help to reduce the risk of dental injuries and other oral injuries during a rugby game or training.
A gum shield is the most important kit for protecting the face and teeth. Other protective rugby gear for kids includes shoulder pads, sports bras and padded shorts.
Rugby Hackers quick picks for kids size rugby gum shields:
In a hurry? Here’s our top recommendations for child size mouthguards. They all come in senior sizes too for older kids and teenagers.
For full details on each product carry on scrolling down…..
Safejaws Intro Series
Size: Junior: Under 11
RRP: £7.99
Easy to fit kids gumshield with money back guarantee if it’s not comfy
Shock Doctor Gel Max Jr
Size: Junior: Under 10
RRP: £21.99
Designed for ultimate protection and support
Safejawz Ortho Series
RRP: One size fits all
Price: £19.99
Rugby gumshield for children who wear braces
Mouth guards are simple pieces of equipment but you may have many things to think about when searching for one for your child.
Your child’s teeth may still be developing and they may be using braces in which case there are mouth guards specially made to suit these conditions.
Top Rugby Mouth Guards For Children:
Kids below the age of 12 do not play full-contact Rugby and instead safer variations where tackling is not allowed and collisions are rare.
Despite this, some kids wear mouthguards in training and gameplay because there are still chances of a knock to the head or face as there is with many sports.
Others want to wear them simply because that’s what “proper” rugby players wear!
Mouthguards designed for smaller players are available so that your child can be as safe as possible.
Manufacturers generally produce junior and senior sizes for the same mouthguard products.
Kids’ Small Transparent Rugby Mouthguard R100
Brand: Offload
Price: £3.99
Size: Small (for children between the heights of 110cm -140cm)
Colour: Transparent
The Offload S R100 mouthguard is one of the smallest on the market, as well as one of the cheapest.
This makes it an affordable option for parents whose child is participating in Rugby but might not be committed to the sport yet.
Offload also offers a medium size for the same product that suits children between the heights of 140cm and 170cm.
Safejawz Intro Series kids mouthguard
Brand: Safejawz
Price: £7.99
Sizes : Junior (under 11) / Senior (over 11)
Colours: Wide range including black, clear, red, white, blue, pink, fluro orange, fluro yellow
Safejawz is a company that exclusively produces mouthguards for multiple sports, founded by former rugby players and other athletes.
They seek to apply their specialist knowledge to produce high-quality gear that is comfortable and affords maximum protectiveness.
Customers are particularly impressed with how well their junior size Intro mouthguard fits.
They can be remoulded up to 3 times and “click” securely in the mouth. Plus they have a money back warranty just in case it doesn’t fit.
This makes a case for this being the best affordable option for young players.
Shock Doctor Gel Max Mouth Guard Juniors
Brand: Shock Doctor
Price: £21.99
Size: Junior (Under 10 years old)
Colour: Pink, purple, white, black or blue
Shock Doctor is another respected manufacturer that provides a range of specialist clothing and protective gear for a range of sports.
Their junior mouth guard is designed for players under the age of 10 but follows the same design as their adult models which means your child will have the same level of protection as a full-contact player.
It also uses a conventional “boil and bite” method to fit to your teeth for maximum comfort as well as features meant to stabilise and align both jaws.
Kids sized gum shield for children wearing braces
Safejawz Ortho Series Mouthguard For Braces
Brand: Safejawz
Price: £19.99
Size: One size fits all
Colours: Fangz, black, clear, red, ice blue, ice pink
Many kids use braces which can be an extra concern for parents if they decide to get into Rugby.
Not only is there the risk to their teeth in general but also the associated cost of possible damage to their braces.
To remedy this, manufacturers have produced models designed to fit around braces and protect them as regular gum shields cannot.
Safejawz’s model has all their classic features as well as lower and upper brace protection.
These also serve the purpose of protecting the inside of the cheeks and lips from abrasions from the braces.
Q&A
Do all players need to wear gumshields?
We would absolutely recommend that every player wears one, even if you don’t think your child will do much tackling or be tackled, there is never any certainty of it not happening and it is always better to be safe than sorry.
How do I clean my gum shield?
We recommend, rinsing it with warm water to remove loose debris. Then, create a mixture of mild soap and warm water, and use a soft brush to gently scrub the gum shield, paying close attention to all surfaces. Finally, rinse the gum shield thoroughly with clean water and let it air dry to ensure it’s clean and ready for use.
Before you go….
Another essential piece of rugby kit is a pair of boots. Check out our top picks in The Best Kids Rugby Boots for Younger Children.
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