Mouth guard to prevent tooth grinding - any dentists about?

[MoneySuperMeerkat]

Almost a year ago at a routine checkup my dentist told me I'd been grinding my teeth and recommended a mouth guard. I wasn't entirely convinced - I wasn't aware that I did grind but it has been amazing. I used to get regular very bad headaches and the mouth guard has all but eliminated these.

Anyway a year on and the guard is in very bad condition - I clearly do grind badly and my teeth (it's a lower only guard) have almost warn through the plastic in places. It's not easy to get a dentist appt at the moment and anyway they guard was a fairly hefty £200 to buy - is there a cheaper, at home alternative?

I grind my teeth very hard during the night and buy sleep right dental guards (via Amazon) I usually have to replace them every 6 months or so.

Part of the cost would surely have been taking the impressions so ordering a new guard from your dentist should be cheaper.

If the impressions don't need to be redone.

They can also make a thicker one as you have gone through it fairly quickly.

@eurochick I wasn't sure about the impressions - it's tough to get through to them atm but I might email them and ask

@happytoseeyou thanks for the recommendation I will check those out.

I got the make your own ones from Amazon and they work really well. You mold them with hot water.

I got these ones

I recommend an NTI brace, rather than a trad mouth guard.

An NTI sits over your front 4 top or bottom teeth.
It stops all the teeth from touching = no mechanical damage.
It stops you from biting down, so no jaw pain / tension headaches.

A trad guard just stops the teeth from rubbing together. You may still get headaches and jaw joint problems (TMJ).

Worth thinking about for the future?

Can I get those for my 14yo dd? Dentist appointments like hen's teeth..

@AuntyFungal that's interesting - i have noticed that I do still grind with the hard on and very occasionally when life is particularly stressful I wake up with my teeth clamped together and a tension headache.

Would I be able to purchase one of these braces OTC/from Amazon? Would they be uncomfortable because of forcing you to hold your mouth oddly?

It should be cheaper without the moulds. Mine is £60 now that I already have the moulds and they make it double thickness as I shred the others in no time

I’ve recently replaced my guard for the same reason and opted for a harder one this time.
You can buy the kit complete with impression mould on eBay, you take it yourself and then post it- the guard comes back in the mail. I paid £33.

"I have noticed that I do still grind with the hard on..."
Oooo er Money

Sorry, they need to be fitted by a dentist.

www.pearldentalclinic.co.uk/nti-device.html

Mine looks like a wodge of chewing gum, with the clear plastic 'brace' over the top. It does feel weird but it doesn't cause you to hold your mouth 'open'.

I reached a point where I was waking every morning and sometimes during the night with extreme jaw pain and extreme headaches.
My teeth have wear and stress fractures and during the height of my grinding I sheered off half a bottom molar.
My dentist has also filed down (the pointy bits) my top molars.

I also had botox in my masseter muscles for a while. I'd basically been pumping up the mass muscles by clenching and grinding for so long. The botox reduced the size of the muscle.

The brace and betablockers have worked miracles!

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BLUE-MOUTH-GUARD-GUM-SHIELD-TRAY-FOR-BRUXISM-TEETH-GRINDING-FAST-DELIVER-W5E/233682686464?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649
this worked for me

You should never buy a bite guard that has not been made by your dentist. It will completely mess up your bite. Especially do not get one that covers only your front teeth unless recommended by a dentist. Your existing guard helps with your symptoms so you don't need an NTI.

You need to go back to your dentist and get them to remake you a guard

Hi @MoneySuperMeerkat, I’m a dental nurse in an NHS practice, you should defiantly get one made by your dentist rather than buying anything over the internet/that you make yourself. Dental practices have started to return to normal now so your practice should be able to offer you an appointment x

The last time I had one made by my dentist was when I was exempted from payment. At the time, the charge for a mouthguard came under Band 3 which is now heading towards £300, hence me getting a custom one made online at a fraction of the cost. Has that changed @Purpleflowers21?

My dentist puts mine through as a private patient- which means they charge me £70 as apposed to the higher NHS charge.
Tbh I still wake up with TMJ headaches with a shield and Amitriptyline.

I have a new mouth guard every 6 months, and have impressions taken each time. I see a private dentist, and it costs me £68 a time. I would cry at £200!

@marriednotdead yeah, it comes under band 3 which has just gone up to £282. If a patient isn’t exempt we just put it through as private which is £60 at our practice x

My NHS dentist is charging me £180 privately!

I did email the dentist. New impressions are needed and the totally cost will be £160 (cheaper than last year?). But they are currently only seeing emergencies anyway.

I've ordered some Amazon ones that only cover the back teeth - I will see how they are before deciding what to do next.