Dental Night Guards: Comprehensive Guide
Understanding the importance, types, and benefits of dental night guards to prevent teeth grinding and clenching.
Table of Contents
What are Night Guards?
Night guards, sometimes spelled “nightguard,” protect your teeth during sleep. Unlike sports-focused mouthguards, night guards are typically made of hard plastic, designed especially for grinding or clenching your teeth.
What is the Best Night Guard?
Choosing the right night guard depends on individual dental needs. Let's explore the various options:
3-D Printed Night Guards by Dentists
With modern dentistry's evolution, we now have 3-d printed night guards, precisely designed using advanced software for maximum comfort.
Night Guards Made by Dental Labs
Made from polished acrylic and sometimes featuring a soft liner, these are known for durability and re-moldability.
DIY Night Guards
Brands like Remi, Sentinel, and Cheeky offer DIY night guard solutions. Though less recommended due to the need for accurate dental impressions, they can be a fit for some individuals.
Over-the-Counter Night Guards
These universal options are less ideal, often leading to more jaw pain due to their non-customized nature and softer material.
Additional Information & Statistics
Dental night guards, also termed mouthguards or occlusal guards, serve as protective gear against bruxism – a condition affecting up to 30% of adults. Symptoms and consequences include enamel damage, headaches, jaw pain, and even TMJ disorders. Regular use of night guards can help mitigate these effects.
There are primarily two categories:
- Moldable Night Guards: These are affordable, soft guards moldable at home.
- Custom-made Night Guards: Dentist-fitted, these hard acrylic guards offer superior comfort and effectiveness.
Statistics for consideration:
- Approximately 20% of adults grind their teeth nocturnally, as per the American Dental Association.
- Annually, teeth grinding leads to a whopping $1 billion in dental repairs.
- Studies have confirmed the efficacy of dental night guards in preventing the adverse effects of bruxism.
- Moldable guards, while cost-effective, are less efficient than their custom-made counterparts.
Dr. Thomas is a general dentist that loves sharing information about all aspects of dentistry, but is passionate about digital and implant dentistry. Dr. Thomas received his DMD degree from Tufts University School of Dental Medicine and continues to find helpful ways to inform and educate people about dental procedures and products.
Are you looking for a second opinion? Dr. Thomas is the CEO of Opinion Two Nonprofit Organization. Opinion Two is available online or on mobile app and it allows patients to receive dental second opinions with top US-licensed dentists. All proceeds are used to benefit future generations of dentists through scholarships and benefits to pre-dental programs.