To improve the mouthguard for sports a kickboxer sits at Kulzer’s development table
When fists and kicks fly, her body can take it - but not her teeth: as a passionate kickboxer, Application Technician Lisa Widuch knows what special protection teeth need in martial arts – and that a good protective mouthguard is usually not part of the basic equipment. In order to change this for her and others in sports, her experience as a martial artist flows into the development of a material for sports tooth protection at Kulzer.
Bruises are part of everyday life for martial artists – "after all, they also show that you have trained well," says Lisa Widuch. The 31-year-old Application Technician at Kulzer discovered kickboxing for herself two years ago. Even though a lot has to be taken in her sport, she also knows that martial artists don't compromise when it comes to protecting sensitive body parts. This includes teeth. In kickboxing, they are exposed to a particular risk, because "a blow to the face can have fatal consequences if the teeth are not well protected," says Lisa Widuch. She knows from her own experience how important it is to have a proper mouthguard that reliably absorbs blows and thus protects the teeth. But that is exactly the problem: her previous mouthguard restricted Lisa Widuch. It sat poorly, hindered her speech and especially her breathing, which put her at a disadvantage in combat. "Because I couldn't breathe easily, my stamina quickly disappeared. In addition, the mouthguard was very loose and threatened to fly out in the event of a punch or kick to the head," Lisa Widuch says.
Kickboxer sits at the table for development
In order to finally improve this, her job at Kulzer helps: as an athlete, she knows the needs from kickboxing, as an Application Technician, she is familiar with the materials and knows what can be made from them. Now, as a kickboxer, she also sits at the table for development work, bringing her experience and the needs of athletes directly to the table.
For several months, she has therefore been testing Kulzer's mouthguard, which she designed herself for 3D printing. "The big advantage of the 3D design is that you can customise each mouthguard individually and easily to the athletes," says Lisa Widuch. The customised mouth guard printed from dima Print Mouth Guard now fits her perfectly: The tooth protection fits her jaw, sits firmly in her mouth, leaves enough room for her tongue and she can breathe better. "Finally, I'm no longer out of breath and I'm in a good position to bite" – the closed mouth protects teeth and jaw. And only with a suitable and well-fitting mouthguard is it possible to bite properly.
Lisa Widuch puts martial arts mouthguards to the test – and this first-hand experience is valuable for development at Kulzer, which is introducing dima Print Mouth Guard, a material that makes it easy to produce a customised, safe mouthguard for martial arts, equestrian sports, and other sports.
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Seize the opportunity to be the go-to specialist for local ambitious athletes in need of a mouth guard. With your 3D printer from Kulzer, you can easily cater to a local niche market and expand your portfolio with mouth guards that are easy to produce and even easier to re-produce as needed.
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