Mouth peace

Mouth guards are finding their way into Major League Baseball. The mouth pieces aren't necessarily designed to protect players' teeth as much as they are supposed to actually improve blood-flow to the brain and improve performance. Eric Byrnes and Dustin Pedroia are a couple of players already giving the mouth guard a try.

The Pure Power Mouthguard, which is what Byrnes wears, was developed by Anil Makkar, a Nova Scotia-based dentist who has studied neuromuscular dentistry. He told the Canadian Press last October that the mouthguard doesn't increase strength, but that it can unlock an athlete's potential by enhancing strength, balance, endurance and oxygen flow.

"The jaw joint is actually the focus of power in the body because that is the most used joint in the whole body," Makkar said. "So what we're basically doing is trying to find the most comfortable position of that lower jaw. ... It relaxes all the muscles in the face and allows you (to) use more of your upper and lower body strength."