There are several reasons why wearing a mouthguard when playing sports is important. First, mouth guards are designed to protect against displacing teeth as they help distribute force over all of your teeth, which prevents one, or two, teeth from bearing the brunt of the blow. They can also help to protect against injuries to soft tissues and prevent jaw and teeth fractures. And, ultimately, mouth guards may help prevent concussions as the padding could lessen the force between the upper and lower rows of teeth and lessen the force of the jaw as it pushes on the skull.