I had my first sparring class back in April... I can't believe I left it this long to go back to a sparring class, but tonight I did my second. I didn't run into this the first time, but tonight a couple of times I felt sick to my stomach, and it seemed to be from swallowing so much saliva. The mouth guard makes me salivate, and it has nowhere to go but down. Pretty soon I'm feeling sick to my stomach. Some of that might just be exhaustion, but it felt like the saliva that was bothering me. Has anyone else had this problem and found a way around it? Do you just get used to it?
I tend to just drool. Seriously, though, I had this problem when I first got my mouthguard, but as dorky as it might sound, I just wore it around the house for a few days just to get used to it. After a while, my body realized that it wasn't food and stopped trying to digest it. Not sure if there's any basis for this working at all, but it seemed to work for me.
Hmm.. never heard of this one per se before. I salivate more when I wear a gum... but not bucketloads. When wearing gumshields you are going to end up slobbering a bit. It's part and parcel with the gumshield. Maybe try as others have suggested - wearing it around a bit. You'll definitely want to wear it when you are doing your anaerobic training. Try doing windsprints or your cardio with your gumshield in. It's a drag but soon you'll get used to it. It might help you to get over the whole over salivation deal.
You just need to wear it a little more for your mouth to get used to. You naturally salivate because the mouth is reacting to a foreign object (in this case the mouthguard).
Thanks for all the good advice! I'll wear it around as much as I can and see if things improve next week.
The physiology behind this is really simple, the body feels a 'foreign body' in the mouth (your guard) and its trying to wash it out.
One problem may be that it its too long in the back so that its not fitting properly, you may need to trim it.
Maybe stop using mouthguards made of beef or at least try a less tasty one? Seriously, I slobber a bit more but not excessively. Everyone is probably right, wear it more often when training (not just for sparring) to adapt to having it in your mouth. Don't, however, wear it on a date, when having lunch, at work...
to salivate when you have a mouth guard is normal. but to have it be uncomfortable means that it isn't the right fit. a bit pricy but if you want a piece that fits immaculately, go to a dentist and have him/ her make you one. it'll last almost forever. good investment.
