The mouthguard hub
Your mouthguard is the worst-smelling thing
in the bag.
For athletes — boxing, football, hockey, lacrosse, wrestling, BJJ, MMA. If you're here for a dental night guard for nighttime teeth-grinding, jump to the note for you. For everyone else: here's how to actually clean an athletic mouthguard so it doesn't taste like the locker room.
JockShock is a pro-grade equipment deodorizer engineered for the materials athletic mouthguards are made of. Built around the same family of chemistry your immune system makes. Powered by ZeroPoint Technology.
- ZeroPoint Technology
- Safe on skin contact
- Won't damage thermoplastic
- Made in USA
Why mouthguards smell
The mouthguard sits at the worst intersection of warm, wet, and sealed.
Your mouthguard spends 60–120 minutes a day pressed against your gums in a sealed environment, soaked in saliva. Then it goes into a closed plastic case, often still damp, and sits there for 22 hours until next use. That's not a cleaning problem — that's a perfect bacterial incubator. By the third practice without proper cleaning, the smell and taste are unbearable. By the sixth, athletes start refusing to wear them.
The lack of an athletic-brand answer in this space is wild. Search for "how to clean a mouthguard" and you'll get dental clinics recommending dishwashers (which warp the material), denture tabs (designed for acrylic, not thermoplastic), and "buy a new one" (the most-replaced piece of athletic gear that exists). Nobody's writing this from the athlete side.
The 60-second routine
Spray, wait, rinse, store. Every practice. No exceptions.
The trick is doing this in the locker room before the mouthguard goes in the case — not three days later when you remember it's still in there. Make it the last thing you do before you zip the bag.
- 1
Rinse off the obvious
Cool tap water for five seconds. Knocks loose food particles and surface saliva. Do not use hot water — it can soften the material and ruin the fit.
- 2
Spray every surface
Two pumps of JockShock on the tray side, one on the gum side. Get into the bite indentations where the bacteria actually live. Wait 30 seconds — chemistry needs contact time.
- 3
Rinse, air, store
Rinse off with cool water, shake off the excess, and let it air dry on the locker shelf for 60 seconds before going into the case. Use a vented case — sealed cases re-trap moisture.
What actually works
The "fixes" that aren't fixes.
The internet has a lot to say about mouthguard cleaning. Most of it is from sources who've never been an athlete with a stinking mouthguard at 6:00 AM practice.
Dishwasher
Don't. The heat warps thermoplastic, ruining the custom fit from your boil-and-bite or your dentist-fitted guard. Cost of replacing a fitted mouthguard: $30–$300. Don't.
Mouthwash soak
Alcohol-based mouthwash dries out and stiffens the material over time, leading to cracks. Doesn't reach bacteria in the porous surface anyway.
Denture tabs
Designed for the acrylic dentures live in. The chemistry isn't optimal for athletic thermoplastic, and dunking the guard in a glass of fizzy water doesn't reach the bite-impression grooves where the smell lives.
Toothpaste + brush
The abrasives in toothpaste create micro-scratches in the guard surface. Each scratch becomes a new pocket for bacteria to colonize. You're trading a short-term win for a faster decline.
Hydrogen peroxide
Works in a pinch, but oxidative chemistry slowly degrades the material. Fine occasionally; not a daily protocol.
Spray + 30 seconds + rinse
The actual answer. Engineered for the material, fast enough to be a real routine, gentle enough to use every practice for a full season.
If you landed here for a dental night guard
The honest pivot — JockShock is not for bruxism guards.
A lot of people who search "how to clean a mouthguard" are wearing a custom-fitted dental appliance for nighttime teeth-grinding — bruxism. Different problem, different material, different care.
Bruxism night guards are typically made of harder dental acrylic or specific dental-grade thermoplastics. Most dental practices recommend a daily brushing with a soft-bristle brush and non-abrasive toothpaste, plus a weekly soak in a denture-cleaner solution or vinegar-water. Talk to your dentist about your specific appliance — they made it, they know what holds up best.
We're not going to pretend JockShock is the right tool for your night guard. It's built for athletic mouthguards used during contact sports — different material, different bacterial load, different routine. If you're shopping for a sports mouthguard tomorrow, we've got you. Tonight's grinding guard, see your dentist.
Common questions
Quick answers.
Why does my mouthguard smell so bad?
Mouthguards smell because they spend hours sealed against your gums in a wet, warm environment — exactly what odor-producing bacteria need to grow. Saliva, food particles, and sweat get trapped between the guard and your teeth, then sit in a closed case after practice. Rinsing with water alone barely dents it. The bacteria stay on the surface and inside any micro-grooves in the material.
Can I put a mouthguard in the dishwasher?
No. Dishwasher heat warps the thermoplastic material that boil-and-bite mouthguards are molded from, ruining the custom fit. Custom-fitted mouthguards from a dentist or orthodontist are even more heat-sensitive and will deform permanently. Hand-clean only.
Is mouthwash a good way to clean a mouthguard?
Mouthwash with alcohol can dry out and stiffen the mouthguard material over time, leading to cracks. Hydrogen peroxide diluted with water works better in a pinch but doesn't address the bacteria living in the porous surface. The right tool is a spray engineered for athletic gear: spray, wait 30 seconds, rinse with cool water, air dry. Done in under a minute.
How often should I clean my mouthguard?
After every single use. The window between rinsing and bacterial regrowth is short — under an hour in the case after practice is enough for the smell to set in. Athletes who clean after every wear have mouthguards that last full seasons; athletes who only clean weekly replace mouthguards every 4–6 weeks because they reek beyond rescue.
How often should I replace my mouthguard?
A clean mouthguard lasts an entire season — sometimes two for non-contact sports. A neglected mouthguard becomes unusable in 4–6 weeks because the smell, taste, and visible discoloration make the athlete refuse to wear it. The replacement cycle isn't really about wear; it's about hygiene-loss.
Will JockShock damage a mouthguard or affect the fit?
No. JockShock is engineered for athletic materials and is safe on the EVA, silicone, and thermoplastic blends used in athletic mouthguards. It won't soften the material, won't affect a custom mold, and won't stain. Spray, 30-second wait, rinse, air dry, store in a vented case.
Is it safe to put cleaning spray in my mouth?
JockShock is rinsed off the mouthguard before the next use — it's a cleaning product, not a swallowed product. The chemistry family is the same one used in saline sprays for wound care, and the use concentration is gentle enough to be skin-safe at contact, but you don't drink it. Spray, rinse, air dry.
What's the difference between a sports mouthguard and a dental night guard?
A sports mouthguard cushions the teeth from impact during football, hockey, lacrosse, boxing, and similar sports. A dental night guard is a custom acrylic appliance prescribed by a dentist for nighttime teeth-grinding (bruxism). They look similar but the materials, fit, and care are different. JockShock is built for athletic mouthguards. If you're cleaning a dental night guard, follow your dentist's care guidance — most recommend brushing with non-abrasive toothpaste plus periodic soaking in a denture-cleaner solution.
Get yours
Most start with the 3-pack.
One bottle for the gear bag, one for the locker, one for home. A 3-pack lasts most of a season at after-every-practice cadence.