Mouth guards for night time - any experiences?

[Wintertimes76]

Told by dentist I need to wear a mouth guard due to grinding at night, dentist made one is 300 quid so eager to try one I can buy for less first. Does anyone have experiences of them? Want one that I can actually tolerate to sleep in. Thank you

I had to build up a tolerance to wearing mine. Initially he had to cut loads off the back as it made me gag, but I was soon able to wear it all night.
when I get a new one now they don’t need trimming down.

The relief is amazing, I can’t sleep without mine. I go through one every 12-18 months I chew so much.

I’m actually just contemplating buying one from a maker off Etsy because I can’t afford another £££’s.

They send you the impression stuff out, you send the impression back and they made the mouth guard. It’s only £65. I will go and find you the link, I guess the only issue is the dentist makes sure it fits correctly and trims and smooths off any bits you feel rub or stick in.

you can buy pre shaped ones you put in hot water and model yourself, I have used them in an emergency over covid, but they weren’t anywhere near as good. I will post a link for those too as they are really cheap.

Etsy one
https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/4354091132/lower-soft-dental-night-guard?ref=userprofile&frs=1

Really cheap ones, but these go one the top teeth. Dentist ones, and the Etsy one, go on the bottom teeth.
Amazon

I think mouth guards are cheaper if you get them from the dentist as a private patient (strangely enough). My dentist does both NHS and private work and said it was £99 private and cheaper than what they’d charge on the NHS.

It is cheaper private, but mine was still £180 rather than the nhs £320

Agree with pp's about private being cheaper. Mine is just under £200 from my private dentist and worth every penny.

My dentist is going to charge £250 (Im with a private dentist, cant get an nhs dentist) so if there is a cheaper option I can buy online that works I wanted to try that first

I have used one for around 30 years. They are so soft and easy to get used to.

Another vote for going private as it's actually cheaper than NHS, I paid £180 compared to NHS £300.

I love mine! I had sores on the inside of my cheek from chewing in the night I didn't even know I did it and now wirh rhr guard in my whole jaw feels more relaxed and I feel I'm sleeping deeper

Taking it out makes me gag and I hate cleaning it but such is life 😂

Is it one your dentist made for you?

I had one made but it was so thick I couldn't sleep with it, now I have a retainer instead from my Invisalign and the difference is amazing I can sleep with it in every night. I'd ask your dentist about the thickness of the material and see if you think you will get on with it, it's a lot of money otherwise.

I never got on with mine so abandoned it. I would fling it across the bedroom in my sleep and once found it in a plant pot. Usually the cat would find it and hide it under the bed. There's nothing worse than a cat gnawing on your mouth guard. Good luck. I hope it works for you.

The tough Invisalign retainer type a pp mentions actually made my pain so much worse, the soft ones have been amazing and they really aren’t that thick.

There's nothing worse than a cat gnawing on your mouth guard.. 😂

I had an NTI splint made for me for bruxism. I couldn't get used to it and it made me drool in the night 😔 Botox in masseter does work, but NHS no longer offer it and privately it's £200 or 300 per session.

Off the shelf ones don't work in the same way. Once the custom one is made the dentist will get you to wear it and then trim it down as needed so it doesn't irritate your gums or feel awkward.

I have a really overactive gag reflex (can't even use mouthwash) and it's fine, I barely know mine is in.

I wear a night retainer after having my top front teeth straightened with Invisalign. It is not pleasant at first but you do get used to it and after a while it feels odd going to bed without it.

I suffer from awful tension in my jaw and wake up in pain every morning. I can’t tolerate the bulky dentist-made guard and am thinking of ‘Grind Guard’ for about £35. Keep seeing ads on social media. Has anyone tried it? Also would love to hear more about Botox injections for this problem please.

Im actually having a Botox consultation this week to choose between that and a mouth guard. I’ll try to remember to report back.

I chewed through a soft one in one night! I have a hard one now that’s uncomfortable but does the job much better.

Thanks LentilBurt - hope it goes well

I spent about £300 on a mouthguard from my private dentist. It takes me ages to settle to sleep when I put it in and then, at some point during the night, I take it out and throw it on the floor! I’m not aware of doing this but every bloody morning it’s on the floor and I will have got at least an hour’s less sleep because I can’t settle with it. I confess I have given up.
Masseter Botox has worked for me. It seems to break the habit so successfully that I don’t need to immediately get it done when it wears off. I haven’t had it for almost 18 months and I am just starting to chomp again. I wake up able to feel I have been clenching and I often have welts on the inside of my cheek. It’s time for a top up