GuardLab Teams Up with Patriot League: 3D Printed Mouthguards to Protect Student-Athletes

Custom 3D scanning and 3D printing mouthguard manufacturing company GuardLab, which last year partnered with the UFC for a global licensing agreement and signed Toronto Blue Jays outfielder and MLB All-Star José “Joey Bats” Bautista as a brand ambassador and athlete advisory board member, recently agreed to a multi-year partnership with the Patriot League, an intercollegiate athletics conference for student-athletes who demonstrate success in both athletic competition and academic achievement. The partnership will be centered on protecting student-athletes, and was announced by the League’s rights partner, Learfield’s Patriot League Sports Properties.

GuardLab CEO Aidan Butler said, “We’re excited about the opportunity to build and grow our relationship with the Patriot League. Our transformative piece of sports technology will aid them with the health and safety priorities for their student-athletes.”

GuardLab uses digital scanning and 3D printing technologies to manufacture its custom mouthguards. The company, headquartered in New York, got some assistance from two top dentists in designing the product: the ‘bite’ is optimized and 3D scanned, and then a bespoke neuromuscular mouthguard is 3D printed, offering both lower and upper protection. Each one is engineered with a proprietary Alignment Repositioning Cushion (ARC) to align the user’s jaw into the best position for protection and performance. The mouthguards are meant for any type of athlete, and can also be used overnight for people who grind their teeth.

GuardLab addresses TMJ alignment, and uses a patient’s information to custom design each individual mouthguard in order to maximize athletic performance while also reducing the risk of injury and improving an athlete’s recovery. The company’s performance, protection, and recovery mouthguards are available through a nationwide network of dentists, and even better, its digital scanning technology is mobile.

This means that the GuardLab brand will be able to travel to all of the schools in the Patriot League network, which is represented exclusively by Learfield for marketing and sponsorship initiatives. The three-year partnership with GuardLab has a goal to increase the performance, protection, and recovery benefits for the Patriot League’s student-athletes.

The Patriot League has been around for about thirty years, and is a continuing demonstration that student-athletes can maintain high standards while excelling both on the field and in the classroom. Its member institutions are committed to the League’s principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes who are academically representative of their class, and athletic participation at Patriot League institutions is highly indicative of a well-rounded education.

“We are proud to partner with GuardLab, a company whose mission to aid in the safety and performance of athletes is very much aligned with the values of our League. The technology they can provide will be a great benefit to the student—athletes at our member institutions,” said Patriot League Commissioner Jennifer Heppel.

Students, teachers, and coaches all appreciate that GuardLab’s mouthguards are able to be fully customized with team graphics, logos, and colors. Both organizations will work to engage sports medicine personnel and athletic trainers associated with the Patriot League’s member schools, in order to spread education and awareness about how beneficial GuardLab’s custom mouthguards are for the safety and compliance of all athletes. Discuss in the GuardLab forum at 3DPB.com.