A Michigan dentist discovered a link between jaw alignment, brain safety, and athletic performance.
Josh Bell is leading the Minnesota Twins in runs batted in this season, and there is a detail in his routine most fans do not know about. Tucked over his lower teeth sits a mouthguard invented by a Michigan family dentist, engineered not simply to protect teeth, but to reduce the forces that reach the brain and to support the alignment that sharpens performance. It is called NeuroGuard+, and Bell is one of a growing number of elite athletes, from Major League Baseball to professional bull riding to championship hockey, who have adopted it.
A Discovery That Began in a Dental Chair
The story of NeuroGuard+ did not start in a laboratory. It started in a dental office. Dr. Michael Hutchison, a family dentist in Michigan, began noticing something unexpected while treating patients for TMJ, or temporomandibular joint, disorders. When he corrected their jaw alignment, they kept reporting the same surprising benefit. They felt stronger, and they felt less fatigued.
"I had patients coming back telling me they could lift more weight, run longer, recover faster," Dr. Hutchison recalls. "At first, I thought it was coincidental. But it kept happening."
Intrigued, he built a prototype mouthguard focused on precise jaw alignment. His first real-world test came with a 65-year-old powerlifter who used the device and promptly broke a world bench press record that had stood for a decade. That result caught Dr. Hutchison's attention, and eventually it caught the attention of biomedical engineers at Wayne State University.
The Science Behind the Alignment
Independent testing at Wayne State measured an average 16.8 percent strength increase among participants using Dr. Hutchison's device. The findings pointed to something scientifically meaningful. Proper jaw alignment appeared to influence neural pathways, muscle activation, and the body's ability to manage impact forces.
"All mouthguards help keep you from breaking your teeth," Dr. Hutchison says. "But NeuroGuard+ was designed to also reduce the G-force impact to your brain and support the alignment that athletes need to perform at their best."
That dual focus, brain protection paired with performance support, is what continues to draw athletes across contact sports. Unlike traditional guards that fit over the upper teeth, NeuroGuard+ fits on the lower arch. This placement allows athletes to breathe freely and speak clearly without removing it, while maintaining what Dr. Hutchison calls correct physiologic jaw position.
Athletes Across Sports Take Notice
Josh Bell is not the only professional relying on NeuroGuard+. Alex Goins, a professional bull rider, wears it in one of the most dangerous sports in the world. Oliver Chau, an NCAA Division I National Champion hockey player, uses it on the ice. Travis Shouse, a national collegiate super heavyweight powerlifting champion, credits it with helping him set records. McKenna Roush, a national cheerleading grand champion, relies on it to manage the high-impact forces of competitive stunting.
Across 20 years and more than 4,000 athletes, Dr. Hutchison has tracked data showing a 95 percent or greater reduction in concussion incidents among NeuroGuard+ users. A new white paper by Dr. Alan Pearce of Australia examines the science behind how jaw alignment and impact force distribution may contribute to concussion risk reduction.
The device has also earned validation from sports medicine professionals. Dr. David Todd, a Certified Chiropractic Sports Physician, and Kelly Ahrens, an NCAA Division I Softball Coach and founder of Test and Train Sports, have both incorporated NeuroGuard+ into their athlete training and safety protocols.
A Major Ruling Opens the Door
In a recent announcement, the National Federation of State High School Associations, known as the NFHS, confirmed a significant milestone. "The NFHS has determined that the NeuroGuard+ football mouthguard is permissible for use under the 2026 NFHS Football Rules, opening the door for millions of high school football players to wear the innovative lower-jaw mouthguard," the organization stated. The ruling allows coaches, athletic trainers, parents, and athletes to consider NeuroGuard+ as a compliant option that fits on the lower teeth, letting athletes breathe and communicate without many of the limitations associated with traditional upper-jaw mouthguards.
For families weighing how to protect young athletes, that ruling matters. It brings a device once reserved for professionals into reach for high school programs nationwide.
Engineered for Impact and Performance
NeuroGuard+ is custom-fitted based on precise jaw measurements, using a do-it-yourself home process designed around each athlete's unique bite. The design focuses on distributing impact forces more evenly across the jaw and skull, which may reduce the rotational forces linked to concussions. The alignment component may also influence how efficiently the nervous system activates muscles, which could help explain the strength and performance gains athletes report.
The reported benefits go beyond safety. Athletes describe increased strength and balance, improved agility, fewer headaches, and better oxygen intake through the lower-arch placement. For competitors like Alex Goins, whose careers depend on split-second reactions and sustained output under pressure, any edge matters, especially one that also prioritizes brain health.
A Shift in How Athletes Think About Protection
As awareness grows around the long-term effects of repeated head impacts in sports, NeuroGuard+ represents a shift in thinking. A mouthguard is no longer just protective gear. It is becoming a performance and brain-health tool backed by testing and real-world results.
Dr. Hutchison continues to refine the technology and expand his research partnerships, yet his focus remains grounded in the discovery that started it all: the connection between jaw alignment and how the body performs under stress.
"We're seeing adoption across football programs, hockey teams, other contact sports, and now professional baseball," Dr. Hutchison says. "These athletes are trusting NeuroGuard+ because it works, and because protecting their brain is as important as any other part of their training."
Protect What Matters Most
Every parent, coach, and athlete shares one goal: to compete hard and stay safe doing it. NeuroGuard+ offers a way to pursue both at once. Custom-fit options are available for individuals, double packs, and full teams, so a single player or an entire roster can gear up with confidence. Explore the science, read the testimonials from athletes across football, hockey, powerlifting, and more, and see why elite competitors are making the switch. Visit NeuroGuard+ today to learn how a properly aligned jaw could protect your brain and unlock your next level of performance.
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Men’s Insider Contributor
Marcus Hale
Covers sport and breaking news, following the competition and the people at the centre of the story.
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