Danny Avdija’s Broken Tooth Inspires Israeli Entrepreneur to Revolutionize Sports Mouthguards
On January 29, 2024, NBA player Danny Avdija suffered a broken front tooth during a game when San Antonio Spurs player Keldon Johnson accidentally elbowed him. Despite the pain, Avdija briefly left the court but returned to play. This incident caught the attention of Gal Pleitman, a former athlete and daughter of a family dentist, who had treated Avdija since his youth. After Avdija returned to Israel, Pleitman provided him with custom mouthguards from her small business, which he continues to use every summer before returning to the NBA to protect his teeth.
Pleitman, 29, grew up in a family of dentists and was an athlete herself, competing in acrobatics, tennis, and volleyball, even representing Israel in snow volleyball. After serving in an IDF computer unit and working in Israeli television as a casting director and researcher, she left the media industry to develop her own company, "Pleitman Mouthguards." The business emerged from her observations of many athletes arriving at her family’s dental clinic with serious oral injuries and the lack of widespread use of protective mouthguards in Israeli sports.
Her company produces advanced, custom-made mouthguards that combine medical standards with aesthetic appeal, sometimes featuring logos and designs, turning them into a sports accessory. Pleitman’s clients include prominent Israeli athletes such as NBA players Tamir Blatt and Ben Sharaf, and boxers Ahvat Shmuel Gordon and his brother Ruach Shmuel. The mouthguards cost between 1,000 and 1,500 shekels and require annual replacement due to wear.
Pleitman emphasizes the importance of mouthguards in preventing severe injuries and increasing awareness among Israeli athletes, noting that basketball players in Israel and worldwide are not mandated to wear them. She recently showcased her products at a sports innovation expo in Tel Aviv and is pursuing collaborations with major international dental labs to develop smart mouthguards equipped with sensors to monitor impacts and health metrics, aiming to enhance player safety in contact sports like rugby and American football.
Despite challenges as a small business within a family dental practice, Pleitman has secured family investment and is determined to grow her brand while balancing future family life. She aspires to see global stars like NBA’s Stephen Curry adopt her mouthguards, inspired by his own dental injury history and use of protective gear. Her mission is to elevate dental protection in sports and combine health, technology, and style in her products.
