r/MuayThai Mar 03 '25

Is this evidence that biting down on you mouthpiece helps?

https://www.psypost.org/chewing-wood-may-boost-memory-and-brain-antioxidants-study-finds/
64 Upvotes

21 comments sorted by

88

u/ProspectSean Coach Mar 03 '25

It’s my understanding that biting down on the mouthguard is more to clench the jaw and tense up the neck to better brace for impact, rather than anything mental

30

u/Fan_of_cielings Mar 03 '25

It's also just a good way of getting people to keep their mouth shut. Getting a shot on the jaw when your mouth is open is horrific.

3

u/patiakupipita Mar 03 '25

My knee-jerk reaction to pain/getting punched is to laugh, I still struggle with this during sparring.

3

u/aegookja Keyboardo Black Belt Mar 04 '25

You can still laugh with your jaw clenched. Source: I am a habitual laugher.

0

u/patiakupipita Mar 04 '25

I'm stealing your flair 🤣

3

u/psych0ranger Mar 03 '25

I've noticed a major difference when doing very light technical offense/defense sparring without a mouth guard vs with one. You barely feel anything light when you're biting down. Without biting down on a mouth guard you might feel some whiplash even on a light touch

Can't say I've tested full sparring without a mouth guard though lol

2

u/Severe_Fudge_7557 Mar 03 '25

I have with no problems, mind you I keep my teeth together. Prefer using a mouth guard though but sometimes, especially with someone new, people hit a lot harder than 40% when supposed to be light sparing

27

u/cutest_opinion Mar 03 '25

Is your mouthpiece made of wood

14

u/gamestopmakesmehard Student Mar 03 '25

maybe his teeth are

2

u/Toddison_McCray Mar 04 '25

Abraham Lincoln teeth

1

u/SlimeustasTheSecond Who knew violence could look so damn smooth Mar 04 '25

It was George Washington, wrong American Politician

3

u/AdministrativeAd6001 Mar 03 '25

Does it weigh the same as a duck

10

u/[deleted] Mar 03 '25

Who needs a mouth guard when you can bite down on a folded up wet paper towel

3

u/Nebuchadnezz4r Mar 03 '25

I'm reading "The Story of the Human Body" right now and in it they mention how the diet of early humans had a ton of fiber, which means a lot of chewing. Might make sense for the brain to encourage biting down!

I've also read that the body uses teeth-contact to balance itself if it feels out of alignment."Studies suggest a connection between bite alignment and posture, with a poorly aligned bite potentially contributing to imbalances in the neck and body. "

There's also some interesting data around bite force, grip strength, and overall strength that's worth a google!

Overall I think biting down on your mouthpiece when throwing some power shots or taking some power shots is a good move. Biting down at the wrong time is unnecessary tension.

2

u/Tyrannocide Mar 03 '25

The study suggests the antioxidant release they found in their experimental group helped with cognitive tests. I guess if you wanted to chew on a mouthguard while studying or reading it might help you focus? Kinda like chewing on a pencil or sticking your tongue out while concentrating I guess?

If you’re asking if it suggests a mouthguard helps protect the brain from damage or prevents getting knocked out, that’s beyond the scope of the study!

2

u/OneManRomanPhalanx Mar 04 '25

I know the article is stating that wood is better than gum, but chewing gum while doing private sessions has helped me immensely with remembering long pad combinations as I get fatigued. My coach pointed it out after a randomly great session that maybe it was the gum and it’s definitely noticeable.

2

u/0utlawAU Mar 04 '25

Does anybody get extreme uncomfortable feelings at the thought of wood touching your teeth and tongue

1

u/BalancedGuy1 Mar 04 '25

Idk chewing on ice cream pop sticks is cool

1

u/GrowBeyond Mar 03 '25

There's evidence that custom mouthuards reduce TBI (in HS Football players) but that's all I got

1

u/bcyc Mar 04 '25

Any memory improvement is probably negated by impacts to the head.

1

u/PrimitiveSound Mar 06 '25

Ben Henderson was onto something with those toothpicks after all.