Why Does Your Night Guard Keep Falling Out at Night?

When your night guard isn’t fitting right, the “solution” to your sleep bruxism woes turns into a nightmare itself. As your guard keeps falling out, you wake up, pop it back in, and doze back off, only to have the cycle repeat.

What’s going on?

The quick answer is that the oral appliance you’re using isn’t fitted correctly to your mouth. Even if it’s from the same impression you’ve used for years, your mouth can (and does) change over time.

In this article, we’ll share the most common reasons your night guard might be falling out, and help you find the right solution for your bruxing needs.

Improper Fit

The most likely reason your night guard is falling out is that it doesn’t fit your mouth correctly. A poor-fitting oral appliance is uncomfortable at best and can become downright painful. Tight guards squeeze your teeth and pop out of place, while loose guards slide off your teeth repeatedly.

Either way, they end up on your pillow at some point during the night, where you inevitably lose them and embark on a frenzied search for the device when you wake up and realize it’s gone.

Why Your Night Guard Isn’t Fitting Right

This often happens with over-the-counter night guards. Sure, they’re convenient and relatively cheap compared to custom-made versions, but one-size-fits-all doesn’t really apply to everyone (since we all have unique smiles and palate shapes).

Boil-and-bite guards are a little better. The putty is moldable, sliding over your teeth to capture the general shape of your teeth and the arch of your mouth. But the thick material is challenging to work with. You need to get the timing and temperature of the water and putty just right, and it still misses the nooks and crannies that make your teeth perfectly imperfect. The result is an ill-fitting, bulky guard that slides out of your mouth more often than it stays put.

On the other hand, you might have a custom-made night guard that used to work well, but suddenly it isn’t quite as comfortable or consistent as it used to be. The reason for this might be that you’ve had changes in your mouth, like dental restorations or teeth shifting (which is completely common with aging, hormones, and other life situations).

Learn More: Why Do Teeth Shift With Age? (And What Can I Do About It?)

The Solution 

The good news is that this scenario, while common, doesn’t have to be yours. A proper-fitting night guard is waiting for you, and it doesn’t have to cost a fortune. 

Our professionals at JS Dental Lab use state-of-the-art technology and a simple mail-order process to craft a guard precisely designed for your mouth. We’ll work with you to ensure your new night guard hugs your teeth comfortably — as it’s supposed to — until you’re satisfied. 

And since our guards use high-quality, professional-grade materials, they’re more durable and long-lasting than OTC guards.

Your Bruxing Has Gotten Worse

When you first started wearing your night guard, your teeth grinding and jaw clenching may have been mild or occasional. You took a great first step toward caring for your teeth when you invested in a night guard, but these splints don’t stop the bruxing behaviors — they protect your teeth from the harmful damage of grinding. 

Bruxism is a secondary diagnosis, meaning it results from something else that needs to be addressed to stop your jaw clenching and teeth grinding behaviors. The most common reason for bruxing is stress, which might explain why so many more cases of bruxism have been reported since the COVID pandemic (AKA the “Covid Clenching Phenomenon”). 

However, many other things could be driving your grinding, including:

• Overstimulation
• Sleep apnea
• TMD (temporomandibular joint disorder)
• Misaligned teeth
• Genetics

So, if you didn’t take care of the reason for your bruxing, the grinding and clenching that once was mild could have worsened. This increase in symptoms presents as persistent jaw pain, headache, neck pain, and/or difficulty opening or closing your mouth.

The Solution

As your grinding habits increase, the force your jaw muscles exert on your teeth gets stronger. That old comfy guard is straining to handle the pressure, and the results are starting to show up as cracks in the plastic or changes in its shape.

What you need is a stronger night guard. There are different types of custom-fit night guards based on grinding severity. At JS Dental Lab, we break these down into three categories:

• Soft night guards, often made of flexible materials like modified ethyl methacrylate and silicone or other elastomers that boost the guard’s pliability. You get a thin, soft guard that is barely noticeable in your mouth, but may not hold up to long-term moderate or severe grinding.

• Hard night guards, usually made from acrylic and copolyester for rigidity, are designed to withstand the pressure and stress of grinding. These are thicker and bulkier than soft guards, which makes them great for severe grinders but means they can take some time to get used to wearing.

• Hybrid, or dual laminate, night guards are the in-between level. Comfortable, soft inner layers merge with harder outer shells for protection that’s easy to adjust to wearing while you sleep, but still durable and long-lasting for moderate and severe grinding.

Not sure which level of protection you need? Contact our helpful professionals at JS Dental Lab for suggestions!

Your Night Guard is Old

All things must age. Although some get better with time, sadly, your night guard isn’t one of them. 

As your old standby is used regularly, the forces of grinding degrade the material. The guard starts to feel loose and unstable, the plastic thins in the most heavily used areas, and the device that once protected your teeth from grinding becomes poorly fitting, uncomfortable, and forces you to clench harder just to keep it in your mouth overnight.

Conversely, you might notice your old night guard feels tight where it used to hug your teeth comfortably. The material might still seem solid, but as your teeth shift and change, the impression becomes obsolete. 

Whether the change in your teeth is from natural aging, dental restorations, missing teeth, or something else, you have a new bite, and you need a night guard that matches it.

Damaged night guards happen with age, too. You’ve been cleaning and caring for your guard for a while, and exposure to heat or chemicals can warp the material. If you notice visible cracks, thinning, holes, or a bad odor or taste when you wear your guard, it isn’t protecting you as it should anymore.

The Solution

Old night guards can be dangerous. You think they’re protecting your teeth from grinding, when, in reality, they may be worsening the damage. 

A new night guard fixes this problem. Custom-made guards give you back the snug fit and overall protection you need to keep your teeth and gums safe from the damage of grinding.

As a bonus, if you’re a JS Dental Lab customer, the warranty covers one full year from purchase, giving you free adjustments until your guard fits perfectly. If you need to reorder, our loyalty program ensures you get discounts on repurchases every time you check out!

Your Guard is Too Bulky

Night guards are worn while you’re sleeping, but who can rest when they’re gagging on a bulky piece of plastic in their mouth? 

This happens often with boil-and-bite guards and other drug store options. These occlusal guards mean well, but they’re too thick and cover too much of the palate. Both of these effects can make you gag or push out the guard while you sleep.

The Solution

If you have a sensitive gag reflex or simply can’t get comfortable with a bulky night guard, opt for a thinner, custom-made option. Even after you get your new device, it may still take time to adjust to wearing it. For the first few days, practice keeping it over your teeth in the daytime to help your mouth get accustomed to it.

You Had Major Dental Changes

Changes to your bite, like missing teeth or dental restorations, can completely shift how your night guard fits. There’s nothing you’re doing wrong; our oral health changes over time, and how we handle our dental care needs shift to meet those changes. 

Your bite may have shifted due to things like new:

• Dental crowns
• Bridges
• Dentures

These are necessary, but they require a different approach to grinding. If you’ve always worn a dental night guard on your lower teeth, but you now have a crown on an upper tooth, switching to an upper teeth night guard can give your restoration the proper protection.

Missing teeth can be replaced with dental implants, bridges, and dentures, but those types of dental work don’t stop the grinding. Your jaw and facial muscles will still feel the strain of overexertion.

The Solution

You have a new bite, so you need a custom night guard designed for your new teeth. Whether you get yours from the dental office or elsewhere, you must protect your new restorations from the forces of grinding. 

We’ll go ahead and say it: 

You’ve made a significant investment in your oral health with those dental restorations. A custom-fit night guard is the only way to go. The drug store options aren’t durable or flexible enough to keep your investment safe for the lifespan of the expensive dental work.

Now, For a Little Help Understanding How Your Night Guard Should Fit

You know what’s causing your night guard to keep falling out. But what does a perfectly good-fitting night guard feel like?

When it’s the right fit, it feels like Goldilocks’ porridge: not too tight, not too loose, but just right. It’s so snug, it needs to be removed by hand with a gentle tug. No slipping off when you’re sleeping. No awkward gagging or rocking when you bite down, and no sharp points digging into your gums.

Wearing your guard might be a little uncomfortable at first, but after a few nights, you’ll never want to sleep without it again. 

To adjust faster, wear your new guard during the day for short periods, and pay attention to little warning signs that it might be a poor fit:

• If the device slides up too far over your gums, it will irritate them and lead to sores and bleeding. 
• If it sits too far back on your palate and makes you gag, it may be too thick. 
• If you’re grinding leaves cracks in the material, the guard is too soft.

Finding the ideal type of night guard may take a few tries, but when you hit that Goldilocks level, it’s worth the effort.

There’s a shortcut, though. Our professionals at JS Dental Lab can help you find the right fit for your bruxing needs for that “just right” feeling without the hassle.

Here’s How It Works

Conclusion

A poor-fitting night guard isn’t just annoying. It’s harmful to your dental health. When your guard doesn’t sit over your teeth correctly or the material is warping, your teeth lose the protection from grinding and clenching they need to stay healthy. 

When your night guard is falling out or showing signs of wear, don’t wait. Contact JS Dental Lab for a replacement that will keep your teeth safe from grinding and give you a better night’s rest every time you wear your new custom night guard.