There are three common types of night guards:
Ready-to-wear
The ready-to-wear night guards are labeled as one-size-fits-all. They are easy to find at your local drugstore or online and they are the most affordable option. However, they are not high quality and may not fit your mouth properly.
Advantages
- Ready-to-wear, no prep required
- Budget-friendly
- Easy to find
Disadvantages
- May not fit well, especially if your mouth is larger or smaller than average
- May be uncomfortable
- Made with cheap materials
- Doesn’t protect teeth as well as other options
Boil-and-Bite
The boil-and-bite mouthguards are a lot like the ready-to-wear option, only they can be customized to fit your teeth better. They are made from thermoplastic, which softens when exposed to heat.
Simply drop it in hot water to make it soft. Then, place it in your mouth and bite down. Once you feel comfortable, place it in cold water to set it. If you need to, you can trim it down so that it fits better.
Advantages
- Budget-friendly
- Can be fitted to your mouth
- More comfortable than ready-to-wear
- Easy to find online and at your local drug store
Disadvantages
- Doesn’t fit as well as custom-made night guards
- May be uncomfortable
- Made from mid-grade materials, so may not last as long as a custom-made night guard
Custom-Made
A custom-made night guard is tailored to fit your mouth perfectly. They last longer because they are made from more durable materials. In order to create your custom mouthguard, we will create an impression of your bite. This will be sent to the lab so that your mouthguard can be fabricated.
This will be the most effective and most comfortable option, especially if you have dental appliances such as braces or dental implants. The store-bought options won’t fit around these.
AdvantagesÂ
- Professionally fabricated to fit your mouth perfectly
- Made with high-quality, long-lasting materials
- More comfortable than store-bought options
Disadvantages
- May be more expensive than other options
There are a few reasons why you may want to consider wearing a night guard:
Prevents Damage to Teeth
While your teeth are designed to handle the pressure from chewing/biting, they are not able to withstand continuous clenching and grinding.
When you grind your teeth while sleeping, you wear away the enamel- which eventually causes tooth sensitivity. Therefore, you may reach a point where you can’t stand hot/cold beverages or foods. Additionally, without the enamel, your teeth are more susceptible to decay, which can increase your risk of infection.
Grinding can also cause weak teeth to fracture and can wear out any fillings you may have. When teeth begin to fracture and crack, you may experience pain and require emergency dental treatment. In some cases, a damaged tooth can be repaired, but sometimes, you may need more expensive treatments such as root canal, crowns, extraction, or tooth replacement with dental implants or bridges.
Prevents TMJ Disorder
Your temporomandibular joint, or TMJ, is the joint that connects your skull with your jaw and impacts your chewing muscles. When you clench your teeth, pressure is applied to the TMJ, which creates misalignment and ultimately, TMJ dysfunction.
TMJ dysfunction is characterized by difficulty chewing, headaches, and pain in/around the ear. If left untreated, you may damage the articular disc, causing disc displacement, which can cause the jaw to lock. A nightguard will ease tension in the muscles, preventing disc displacement.
Prevents Chronic Headaches
Since TMJ typically manifests through migraines, chronic headaches and neck pain could be a sign of bruxism. Headaches are the result of tensed muscles in the jaw, neck, mouth, and shoulders.
This doesn’t mean that just because you have headaches, you can diagnose yourself with bruxism. You will need to check with the dentist to find out if your headaches are due to teeth clenching and grinding. In order to do this, we will check the surfaces of your teeth. They should be pointed. If they are flat, you likely suffer from bruxism.
Another factor we consider is receding gums and bone, which result from continuous clenching. A nightguard can eliminate headaches because the muscles are no longer tensed up.
When you clench or grind your teeth while sleeping, you may have