Christophe Berra has revealed he will be sporting a new piece of kit against Derby on Saturday at Portman Road — but fans are unlikely to see it.
Berra will be wearing a gumshield or mouthguard, a piece of equipment common to boxers and rugby players, as he looks to avoid further problems with a troublesome front tooth.
The big defender lost a tooth at Reading last season following an innocuous clash with Royals’ striker Pavel Pogrebnyak and said: "I had it capped but it has always been vulnerable.
"In our game at Charlton a few weeks back their striker [Simon Makienok] flung his arms into my face and the way he was going I think he would probably have been sent off if they hadn’t decided to substitute him.
"I went to the dentist after that to get a temporary cap and that went at Fulham the other night after a challenge on [Moussa] Dembele. So I returned to the dentist on Wednesday to get another temporary one and now I’m waiting for the permanent cap to be fitted next week.
"I’m going to wear a mouthguard, a thing like the gumshield that boxers wear, against Derby. I’m going to wear it in every game after that and hopefully that will help me.
"I’m sure I must have cost the club a lot of cash in dental bills but I don’t think they will mind as long as we can keep winning.”
Berra has been in the wars throughout his career and added: "Broken noses, banged lips and ulcers on them for days afterwards, teeth knocked out, I’ve had the lot.
"Mind you, I played for 12 years without any problems with my teeth. But it’s just one of those things and not the end of the world — it can always be fixed.”
There is no concealing the fact that Berra’s nose has been broken, although not to the same extent that Town boss Mick McCarthy or Hull counterpart Steve Bruce wear the tell-tale signs of fractures suffered in their hey-day as central defenders in the top flight.
The latest Town victim of a broken nose is midfielder Cole Skuse, who was unable to appear for the second half at Craven Cottage on Tuesday, a game in which Brett Pitman netted the winner after a couple of uncomfortable days with his own dentistry issue.
Berra said: "Poor old Skusey, you can see he’s broken it, and as for Brett he had root canal surgery and couldn’t sleep or eat for two days before the game at Fulham.
"But I think that sort of thing happens at every club and you just don’t always hear about it. There are always people playing with injuries, through the pain barrier, whether it’s Ipswich Town or Manchester City or whoever. You are always going to take knocks and you just have to get on with it.
"The gaffer loves it and it’s not always the defenders who come off worst. I’m sure I have also hurt a few centre-forwards in my time.”
Meanwhile, with Town just two games from the halfway point in the league campaign, Berra was asked to assess the season so far. He said: "We’re in a good position in the top six and I think the league has got stronger.
"Teams have got better, they have brought in different managers and they may be playing different styles of football. It’s more competitive and it’s another typical Championship season.
"We’re top six at the moment but there’s still a long way to go and you never know where we might be, come the end of the season.
"In this league there is such a fine line and there are not many points between most of the teams.
"We are nine points off the top but we are only four points off 12th place. The Championship never fails to surprise you — every game is difficult, it’s a fight and a marathon campaign.”