Teeth grinding is a nasty habit that affects many adults while they sleep. Your body will subconsciously decompress from stress and anxiety during the night, and you may find yourself grinding or clenching your teeth. There are a few symptoms to look for if you think you might be grinding your teeth. We’ll discuss those and what the better option is between night guard dentist vs over the counter guards.
Sleep guards are used to protect teeth from grinding and clenching. Wearing these are a must if you have either of these habits because they will prevent terrible side effects and help you avoid expensive dental repairs. Here are a few symptoms to look for when figuring out if you grind your teeth.
Daily morning headaches can be a result of clenching or grinding your teeth. When you clench, your jaw muscles are overworked, and after a few hours of doing this, the muscles will tire and send stress signals to your brain. When you wake up with a headache and sore jaw muscles, this may be a correlation to clenching while you sleep. Other side effects of grinding your teeth include extra sensitivity to hot or cold foods because your teeth have become chipped or cracked from the grinding. You may also have your partner listen to the teeth grinding sound while you sleep. This is a “clicking” or “popping” sound that comes from the jaw or mouth. It’s very distinct and you’ll be able to listen for faint noises. These are all sure signs that you’re grinding your teeth.
If you believe you are grinding your teeth, you’ll want to schedule a dental examination to see if your dentist needs to repair anything before crafting a sleep guard for you. Once confirmed, your next decision will be night guard dentist vs over the counter, meaning there are multiple ways to receive a night guard for protection. Which is better? Which is more affordable? Which one lasts longer? We’ll answer all that now.
When deciding between night guard dentist vs over the counter guards, there are a few factors that should help your decision. Over-the-counter night guards are more affordable, but that’s because of their quality of them. The material that these night guards are made from is cheap and will be worn down within a month. You’ll need to constantly replace the over-the-counter night guard as your grinding and clenching will put holes through them eventually.
Getting an over-the-counter guard will likely mean that you have a boil-and-bite guard. You’ll need to heat up the material and bite into it. This process is easy to mess up on and can cause impressions to be less than accurate or end up biting through the material. These sleep guards are often bulky and may be uncomfortable due to the excess of material. They will protect you from mild and light grinding but just make sure you are prepared to replace them often and go through the process of creating them. Some night guards may even come in packs of two or three, so you do have that option.
Getting a night guard from the dentist will have many benefits that over-the-counter night guards don’t have but there are also a few cons. First, the night guards from the dentist will offer premium protection and defense because of the high-quality material. It will be professionally crafted so the guard will have a near-perfect fit and be comfortable to wear at night. However, there are a few cons. The biggest cons to getting a night guard from the dentist will be the massive bill associated with it. You can expect a high cost of hundreds of dollars. You’ll need to schedule multiple visits and you may be required to have dental insurance or get X-Rays. When your night guard is finished, you’ll have to schedule another visit to pick it up. This is all very inconvenient.
When you want to decide between the options of night guard dentist vs over the counter, there’s a third option that brings together the best of affordability, premium material, and max defense. You can order a high-quality night guard online with SportingSmiles. Since 2009, SportingSmiles has been crafting custom night guards designed to prevent teeth grinding and clenching.
Ordering with SportingSmiles, you’ll be able to select from one of six-night guards, each designed to protect your teeth from different severities of teeth grinding and clenching. You’ll receive our patented impression kit and take easy at-home impressions before sending them off with free 3-Way shipping. Once SportingSmiles receives the impressions, our expert team will craft you a night guard. This means you don’t need to leave your house with unnecessary visits, and SportingSmiles night guards are typically half the cost of the dentist but don’t sacrifice any of the quality.
