Out in the community

The mouthguard van

Getting a whole team fitted for custom mouthguards is a logistical headache. Thirty families each booking their own appointment rarely happens, and boil-and-bite guards from the chemist end up in the bag rather than the mouth.

So Caitlin took the practice to them. The van turned up at training nights and school sports days, and players were fitted on the spot — impressions taken there, guards made up and delivered back to the club.

Over the years that meant visits to clubs and schools right across the eastern suburbs.

Why it mattered

A knocked-out or broken front tooth in a junior footballer is not a small thing. It often means a lifetime of dental work on a tooth that should never have been damaged. A properly fitted mouthguard prevents most of that, but only if it is comfortable enough to actually be worn.

Removing the barrier — the appointments, the cost of everyone getting to a practice, the organising — meant a lot more kids ended up protected than otherwise would have been.