The Dental Hygiene Program recently began providing custom mouthguards to student athletes, starting with the Chargers softball team, after several years of planning.

The project, intended to serve all GHC student athletes, began with the softball team. Dental hygiene students took impressions during a clinic visit on Dec. 1, 2025, and the completed mouthguards were delivered to the clinic Thursday, Jan. 22.

“I’ve been trying to get this off and running for at least three or four years,” said Kristin Baumann, a dental hygiene professor and leader of the project.

Baumann said the idea developed after a conversation with a fellow faculty member about an athlete who had a mouth injury.

“It got me thinking,” Baumann said. “We could, in dental hygiene, through making athletic mouthguards, have prevented that injury or at least minimized it.”

In August 2025, the project gained momentum after Baumann attended Athletic Director Nikki Levering’s presentation on the state of the athletics program.

“I just casually presented the idea to Nikki Levering, and she was really excited,” Baumann said. “She said some of the coaches might be interested.”

One of the coaches interested was Head Softball Coach Tanner Robertson.

“I was very interested from the start,” Robertson said. “I think it’s awesome and if we can help students on one end and get help on the other, that’s perfect to me.”

Baumann and the dental hygiene students interviewed said custom-fit mouthguards provide better protection and comfort than store-bought options because they mold to a person’s teeth.

“Not to minimize the benefit of store-bought mouthguards, because they can offer some protection,” Baumann said. “They do not absorb impact as well as a custom-fit mouthguard.”

For dental hygiene students, the project provided hands-on clinical experience.

“Before making mouthguards, we did not have a requirement to make impressions for them,” said Ella Brewer. “This gave us experience using those skills in clinical care.”

Dental hygiene students also learned about the technical process behind making mouthguards.

“I think the coolest thing is we learn about all the different parts, the chemistry, the different ways to mix it and what all goes into it,” Caroline Abney said. “Sometimes you do not think about the bigger picture.”

The models were sent to R&M Dental Lab for fabrication, a step Baumann said would not have been possible without Dr. James Hudson. Dental hygiene students completed much of the preparation work themselves.

From an outfielder’s perspective, Linley Haynes said the team’s new mouthguards would be beneficial to them.

“We do a lot of running and diving, and we hit the ground hard, especially on turf,” Haynes said. “There are times when I run with my mouth open, which can be risky.”

Haynes said the mouthguards are also important during base running.

“I’ve known people who have had their teeth knocked out or chipped,” she said.

The custom mouthguards give the softball team added protection on the field and provide dental hygiene students with hands-on clinical experience.