Comparing the Different Types of Night Guard for Teeth Grinding

Posted by Chomper Labs on May 13th, 2021

If you grind or clench your teeth (otherwise known as bruxism), you’re likely frustrated this is happening in the first place, but also confused as to why you have to wear a night guard while you sleep. Furthermore, once you’ve decided to look for a night guard, you’re further confused by all the different options out there, whether it’s a night guard from your dentist, an over the counter version, one from an online dental lab, or even a 3D printed night guard. All have their own benefits and limitations as well as different costs. Let’s help breakdown all the different types to find the best night guard for teeth grinding.

Firstly, let’s talk about the most accessible mouth guard for teeth grinders, the over-the-counter mouth guard. They can be easily purchased at most major pharmacy stores and are advertised to be custom made, in that it can be molded to your teeth by boiling the material and biting into it. These night guards are commonly made of a soft rubber-like material called EVA and are usually quite thick, around 3-4mm in thickness. Fortunately and unfortunately, these mouthguards are the cheapest, both in terms of price and quality. They are very affordable as most can be found for under , but they’re also made with cheaper material that doesn’t withstand grinding or clenching well. The soft material means that it won’t be durable enough for most heavy teeth grinders or clenchers and the “boil and bite” process usually means the resulting mouth guard isn’t actually custom fitted well. Since you’ll be grinding and applying pressure to this material, a poor fitting mouth guard can actually lead to more jaw pain or even offset your bite. This is a good option if you need something quick, easy, dispensable but not a great option if you’re looking for something truly custom made.

Now let’s discuss truly custom made night guards. These versions are actually fabricated from an impression, or mold, of your teeth, making them truly custom fitted, accurate down to the millimeter. The first one to know is the standard custom mouth guard you might get from the dentist. These night guards are made at a dental lab, or sometimes in-house at the dentist, and then sold to you. Since this is a custom night guard that’s fitted at your dentist appointment, your dentist has the benefit of being able to observe your bite in person and make any minor adjustments to the night guard should it be required. This is a nice benefit if your teeth are more complicated, but not necessarily required if you have a normal bite and don’t require much custom adjustment of any kind. Many consider this version to be the best dental night guard option, but it comes at a price. Dental night guards typically range from 0-700 with insurance typically not covering the purchase.

This leads us to another truly custom made night guard for teeth grinding option - those are still custom made but sold by the dental lab directly to you, the customer, cutting out the dentist as the middleman. This means that you can avoid the high markup costs by the dentist, and get the same custom made night guard for typically 70% less, or around 0. The night guard is still custom fabricated from an impression of your teeth, which you take yourself from the comfort of home. This is a very convenient and cost-effective option, but you do have to look out for quality, which can vary by company. Chomper Labs for example, uses high quality materials imported from Germany that are both FDA and CE approved and exactly like what you would get from the dentist, whereas other companies might use more inferior materials that are not certified. It’s best to carefully do your research but this is a great “best of both worlds” option to get a truly custom made night guard just like at the dentist, but without the dentist prices. One thing to remember is that you won’t have the benefit of the dentist adjusting your night guard should you need it, but for most folks without complicated dental situations, this is a non-issue.

Lastly, let’s briefly discuss the new world of 3D printed night guards. 3D printing is a relatively new technology and is very similar to the traditional custom made night guard, except that the dental lab 3D prints the material, instead of making it by hand. This option is relatively new, and while there are definitely some cost-saving advantages on the dental lab’s end (which they may or may not pass onto you), it’s also important to know that the material science of the night guard is still somewhat unproven.

There may be quite a few options out there for a custom made night guard, but now that you’re well educated on the different types, it should be quite easy to find the best mouthguard for grinding teeth!