There are many different names for a mouth guard which you use at night to protect yourself from teeth grinding or clenching. They may be called night guards, sleep guards, teeth grinding guards or occlusal guards, or mouth guards. Regardless of what you call them, there may be an adjustment period when you begin to wear them. These are the best tips for sleeping with a mouth guard.
One of the first tips for sleeping with a mouth guard is to make sure you are wearing a custom one. There are two different types of night guards that you can use. The first is the over-the-counter ones found at your local drug store or online on Amazon. These occlusal guards are cheap, bulky, and will need to be replaced often due to the material they are made from and the “one size” fits all mouths business model. These night guards are not custom-made and will fit any smile which means your teeth are being protected with the bare minimum. A custom night guard will fit you much better, are more comfortable, and offer far more protection than the stock ones. You can purchase a custom night guard online with SportingSmiles, or your dentist can craft you one.
When you get a custom night guard you’ll start sleeping better but there are plenty of other tips for sleeping with a mouth guard. Make sure you only wear a single night guard. If you wear an upper one on your teeth, it’s not necessary to wear a bottom one. The night guard will protect both sets of teeth as it adds a barrier to them. You may want to wear your mouth guard on your upper teeth instead of the bottom teeth. We have found that over 90 percent of our night guard orders are for top night guards. This may feel more comfortable for you and less noticeable in your mouth while you sleep. If you want maximum comfort, try getting a mouth guard with a back-cut option on it. That means that the front part of the sleeping guard is cut out allowing maximum airflow while you sleep. Your teeth will still be protected, it’s just an extra feature that adds comfort.
Your oral health and cleanliness matter when it comes to tips for sleeping with a mouth guard. You’ll want to keep your occlusal guard clean by giving it a daily or weekly cleaning. This means soaking it in an over-the-counter cleaner or giving it a deep clean with a soft-bristle toothbrush with an alcohol-free cleaning solution. When your night guard is dirty, it can become brittle causing it to crack, or infect your mouth with more bacteria. Make sure you brush your teeth before wearing your night guard before sleep to remove any chance of transferring bacteria and biofilm from your teeth onto the guard. A clean mouth guard will expand its lifespan.
Wear a mouth guard that is designed for your habit. Not everyone grinds their teeth or clenches their jaw. Some may do one or the other and at different levels of severity. Select a sleeping guard that is designed specifically for your issue. SportingSmiles offers six different sleep guards that are crafted to protect against different issues. Wearing a night guard that is designed specifically for your problem is one of the best tips for sleeping with a mouth guard that we can offer.
Finally, to complete our list of best tips for sleeping with a mouth guard, we recommend that you spend at least 30 nights with it. Don’t give up! It may take some time to adjust to wearing an occlusal guard but in the long run, it protects your teeth from damage and will prevent major oral surgery that is very expensive if your teeth become cracked or broken. The only way to have your teeth repaired is by your dentist and that comes with a huge bill. Eventually, you will adjust to the night guard and it will become part of your routine.
When you do need a new mouth guard, you can receive one from the comfort of your home at half the cost of the dentist. By ordering from SportingSmiles, you’ll receive our patented impression kit, take easy at-home impressions and ship them back with free 3-way shipping. Our dental lab techs will craft you a premium night guard designed to prevent teeth grinding or clenching and you’ll sleep peacefully at night fully protected.
