A mouth-guard or gum shield is the most important piece of equipment a contact sport's player should own.

The mouth-guard not only protects your teeth and gums, it can reduce damage around the jaw and your chances of getting concussed. As every mouth is different, so every mouth guard should be moulded to fit perfectly around the top half of a player's mouth.

The best way to do this is to see your dentist, who will take moulds of your mouth and make sure the shield is custom made for you.

The other type of mouth-guard is the "boil and bite" type which you mould yourself using hot water. Put the warm shield in your mouth and suck on it for roughly three minutes until it has moulded to the shape of your upper teeth.

Whether you opt for a custom made mouth-guard or a "boil and bite type", the most important thing is to make sure you wear some sort of protection when playing contact sports.