Need a new bite guard. I sleep with one due to clenching of teeth. Found out a few years ago when I had two teeth crack unexpectedly. Dentist diagnosed that it was me clenching at night during sleep. Had a custom fit bite guard made at dentist. It's lasted 3yrs now and is cracking. Originally I went with the OTC at Walmart for cost savings but they are soft. Dentist from beginning recommended the custom fit one but I was hesitant to pay the $400. But then got tired of the OTC wearing out. And I felt like I was just chewing it all the time. The custom fit one is firm and actually has been far better than the OTC ones.

Again though it's over $400 out of pocket. Does anyone know if a custom fit firm material style like a Dentist uses that is less money? I'll have a new one made with my dentist if I must but was hoping there was maybe a half price alternative out there.

I see several sites that are around $150 but have no idea if quality.

Thanks

My wife has had issues grinding her teeth while sleeping for years. She had a bite guard custom made, and did not like it. She uses these, says they are “the bomb”.

https://www.amazon.com/Placker...+%2Caps%2C150&sr=8-3

quote:

Originally posted by MRBTX:
My wife has had issues grinding her teeth while sleeping for years. She had a bite guard custom made, and did not like it. She uses these, says they are “the bomb”.

https://www.amazon.com/Placker...+%2Caps%2C150&sr=8-3

I second these. I've been using them for years, too. My dentist made up a set (multi-hundred dollars) for me, but these from Placker have been just fine and they are comfortable.

I use one for about a month or so (rinsing it each day) and then replace it with the next one in the box. He he he. I've ordered a lot of 'extras' for SHTF situations.

Some people do fine with OTC, but be careful. If you are a hardcore clencher/grinder, it is entirely possible to alter your occlusion with a generic mouthguard. The style like the Amazon link place all the biting force on a few molars. That causes the posterior teeth to intrude and allows anteriors to extrude. It can cause a situation where you create a space between your upper and lower molars large enough to prevent you from bringing them into contact.

^ I got these in January thinking I might be a grinder. Easy to trim and form with hot water. They don't really go back far enough to cover the back molars so I assume they don't touch.

HONEYBULL Mouth Guard for Grinding Teeth [6 Pack - Thin] 1 Size for Light Grinding | Comfortable Custom Mouth Guard for Clenching Teeth at Night, Bruxism, Whitening Tray & Guard https://a.co/d/6MWqdJh

^^^^Putting the pressure on the premolars is even worse. Smaller roots so they intrude more easily.

I'm a serious sleep grinder.

The custom night guards I get from my dentist work really well in preventing further damage and alleviating jaw pain. I wear them religiously.

The OP's night guard has lasted him 3 years, and that's about typical for most people... However, I grind through a custom night guard every 6 months.

That's right, every six months. (Actually, more like 5ish, since my rear teeth start touching a few days/weeks before my next appointment.) So at every 6 month checkup I have to get a new one.

They're $400 a pop, so that'd normally be $800/year, but my dentist is an awesome guy and he only charges me once every few years. Plus my dental insurance typically covers half, so it works out to more like $50-$75/year out of pocket overall.

Well worth it.

quote:

Originally posted by drendean:

quote:

Originally posted by MRBTX:
My wife has had issues grinding her teeth while sleeping for years. She had a bite guard custom made, and did not like it. She uses these, says they are “the bomb”.

https://www.amazon.com/Placker...+%2Caps%2C150&sr=8-3

I second these. I've been using them for years, too. My dentist made up a set (multi-hundred dollars) for me, but these from Placker have been just fine and they are comfortable.

I use one for about a month or so (rinsing it each day) and then replace it with the next one in the box. He he he. I've ordered a lot of 'extras' for SHTF situations.

Been using them as well. Dentist hasn't said shit about selling me a bite guard, grinding, or gums receding or whatever he used to say before I started using them. And they last a loooong time.

I’m a clincher/grinder. A few years back I spent the money for a custom mouth guard from my dentist. It had a “shelf” behind the upper central incisors that was supposed to que my lower jaw not to bite down; I’m sure it worked. I didn’t like it. One night I took it out and layed it in a Kleenex and my wife inadvertently threw it away.

I went without for quite awhile and I could tell in the morning that I had been grinding overnight. Took a chance on a do-it-yourself mouth guard on Prime. It’s name is SoVa. It’s top teeth only, but it’s comfortable and I can easily keep it in all night. Seems work well for me.

Thanks for feedback. I found online a dental service providing same product as local dentist at 1/3 the price. They do have unlimited free adjustments. But you have to mail the guard back for the adjustment and then if it doesn't fit well in return you repeat the process. Looks like I'll have my dentist make another one for me. I did have to have a few adjustments before the fit was right. Going back and forth in the mail would be a pain. Just sucks they are so expensive. At least I did get a good 3+ years out of it so price yearly isn't so bad. I've tried a few of the OTC ones in the past and didn't have good results with them hence the reason I went with expensive dental custom fit.

I bought this. You warm it up with hot water, cool it down a bit and then insert and clamp down and voila semi custom mouthguard.

https://www.amazon.com/your-or...shipmentId=GHP19FLzz

quote:

Just sucks they are so expensive. At least I did get a good 3+ years out of it so price yearly isn't so bad. I've tried a few of the OTC ones in the past and didn't have good results with them hence the reason I went with expensive dental custom fit.

^^^^^^^^^^^
You get what you pay for. My custom made mouth guard is much better.

This is the one I use, Dentek. It has a harder plastic on the bottom that makes it last longer. I have to throw them out because they start looking crusty after a while, not from falling apart

https://www.amazon.com/DenTek-...us_en_5_2023Q4&gQT=1

quote:

Originally posted by BigSwede:
I have to throw them out because they start looking crusty after a while, not from falling apart

You're supposed to clean your night guard, if not daily then at least every few days...

I use retainer cleaning tablets. They're like $5 per hundred pack.

They look and work kinda like alka-seltzer tablets. Drop it into a small bowl of warm water with your guard in it, and over the course of a few minutes the bubbly effervescent action and cleaning solution cleans and disinfects it.

And if you have any leftover crusties afterwards, which I rarely do, you can also brush it using your toothbrush.

I do clean and brush them but don't use the tablets. I'm talking a couple of years when they get crusty

I bought a little ultrasonic cleaner to clean mine. Usually just use water every few days I add a little mouth wash.
Keeps it great. I also store it in fresh water throughout the day and don’t leave it on the sink anymore.

No need for extra equipment.

When you remove it in the morning, give it good rinse under lukewarm water. Put it in a cup of water with an Efferdent/Polident/generic equivalent denture cleanser tablet. Walk away and leave it there all day. When ready to wear it again at night, take it out of the solution and brush it with your toothbrush. Quick rinse and it’s ready for night wear. It will never get funk built up on it.

You can’t prevent the mechanical wear that will take place on the biting surfaces. It’s a sacrificial part that is taking the hit for your teeth.

I also am a serious grinder. My DDS made guard helps a lot, it is the bi-layer type with a hard plastic on the outside. He told me there is a DIY nightguard that is very similar to the expensive one he makes.

They send a kit, which you use to make a mold. Send the mold in, and they fab a high quality guard. The only problem, my dentist told me, is that there is no one to check and sand off the high spots. I will ask him about this high quality DIY guard, and try to post about it here.

These look pretty good, esp. the 2mm hard and flexible night guard.
https://www.teethnightguard.co...ebj-D6hoCYhgQAvD_BwE

^^^^^
One problem with all of the mail order appliances, whether night guard or orthodontic aligners, is the impression process. It’s easy to get an impression, but significantly more difficult to get a good one. The materials that are stable long enough to mail in are inherently less accurate than the type that would be used and immediately poured at a dental office. Now, many dental offices are using digital scans instead of impressions. As you can imagine, the level of accuracy is outstanding.

I’m retired. I have nothing to sell and am no longer a member of Big Tooth. I just have 30 years of seeing (and fixing) DIY dentistry.