Newtown Square brothers’ mouth guard goes on sale nationwide
MARPLE >> For most fans, the big take-away from a football game is a spectacular play.
For Tim Moore, it was a mouth guard.
Moore and his brother, John, of Newtown Square, are the inventors of the QuickHitch MouthGuard, which easily attaches to a facemask or clothing when not protecting the user’s teeth and gums. Available for the last 18 months on Walmart.com, it recently hit the shelves in several thousand Walmart stores nationwide.
“I remember watching the game on TV in 2004 and as the player came off the field, he just couldn’t shove his mouth guard into his facemask,” said Tim Moore. “I thought, ‘Why isn’t there something that would make that easier?’”
Similar to a uniform or helmet, a mouth guard has become a necessary piece of sports equipment. Approximately 20-25 million youth participate in competitive sports and 10-20 percent of their injuries are maxillofacial, according to the American Dental Association.
By modifying existing products on the market, the duo devised a plastic hook which gives the athlete an easy way to store the mouth guard during and after the game. Their product combines the functionality of a strapped mouth guard, which can be detrimental to one’s teeth when a player is hit, with the convenience of a strapless one. The hook also serves as a handle during the boil and bite, the method used to mold the device to the individual’s teeth.
“Kids often stick other mouth guards in their dirty pant leg, sock or helmet and after the game put it in their locker with their cleats,” said John Moore. “Ours keeps it clean when it’s not in use.”
After receiving a patent in 2011, the brothers designed the prototype and contracted a company in Middlesex, N.J., specializing in plastic molds.
The product was initially sold through Amazon.com.
The pair subsequently learned about Walmart’s “Made in America” campaign, which seeks to increase job creation and consumer spending by hiring veterans and sourcing additional domestically-manufactured goods. They participated in an open house at the company’s corporate headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas, where buyers provided constructive criticism.
“They gave us advice, such as changing the packaging, and said they would consider us,” said Tim Moore. “We then worked with a professional graphic designer who created a package that can hang on a display, shows how the hitch is used and that it is made in America.”
QuickHitch MouthGuard became a registered supplier for Walmart in 2015 and the retailer test marketed the product on its website. The company then agreed to stock it in most of its U. S. locations, including Boothwyn, and the first shipment hit shelves within the last few months.
“We’re in stores in every state, including Alaska and Hawaii, and Puerto Rico,” said John Moore. “We also have regular replenishment orders.”
While Tim Moore still operates his contracting firm, T. Moore Builders, John Moore has changed his daily schedule. A former software developer, he began dividing his time in July between that field and their company.
“Now I’m 100 percent QuickHitch MouthGuard,” he said.