Table of Content
4 Types of Night Guards to Choose From
by Dylan Hao |
Night guards are to teeth grinding as Band-Aids are to bleeding. They’re the first line of defense to stop the underlying symptoms from worsening.
With so many night guard options, how do you know which one is right for you?
This guide breaks down the 4 types of night guards to choose from and gives you the information you need to make an informed purchase (and decide if you need an upper or lower guard).
Soft Night Guards
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Maybe you’re a sound sleeper, and nothing short of a train blowing past your window wakes you up. You know you’re grinding because of the symptoms (worn-down teeth, morning headaches, and jaw pain), but unless your partner elbows you to stop your snoring, your bruxism doesn’t affect your sleep.
Lucky for you, you’re not a sensitive sleeper! But for those who are, anything from a one-degree change in temperature to a pea under your mattress keeps you awake. You sure aren’t going to enjoy wearing a thermoplastic sleeve over your teeth, even if it keeps you from clenching and grinding.
You are exactly the person a soft night guard was designed for.
Pros and Cons of Soft Night Guards
Manufacturers of soft night guards often use flexible materials such as modified ethyl methacrylate and silicone, or similar elastomers to enhance pliability. This result produces a thinner, softer mouth guard versus the hard night guard varieties.
These oral appliances are beneficial for people with sensitive mouths and mild bruxism. Soft night guards are comfortable while still giving your teeth a layer of protection. Worn consistently, you may notice a reduction in symptoms like snoring, damage to your teeth enamel, and jaw muscle tension.
Dentists may recommend a soft night guard if you’re struggling to comply with wearing this protective device because of discomfort. They’re less bulky, making them easier to fit in the mouth without feeling uncomfortable. They can adapt to your teeth easier for a quick adjustment period.
The downside of soft night guards is a biggie, though. Because they’re so soft, the jelly-like material encourages your jaw to want to chew. This effect could increase your grinding and clenching activities and cause your night guard to wear out faster. Soft night guards are replaced more frequently than their harder and more durable counterparts.
Since the material used for these night guards is more porous than other thermoplastics, soft guards can stain easily and are hotbeds for bacterial growth. They need regular cleaning and maintenance to stay in good shape.
Who Should and Shouldn’t Use a Soft Night Guard?
Every night guard design has a purpose and a target user. For soft night guards, anyone with mild or moderate bruxism and sensitive teeth and gums could benefit. But moderate-to-severe bruxers and anyone averse to regular cleaning procedures may want to consider a different option.
Hard Night Guards
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If your grinding keeps you awake or is causing you to have oral health and musculoskeletal problems, you need strong protection. Although a night guard has an adjustment curve, once you’re used to it, the peaceful rest you get outweighs the annoyance of having a bulky appliance in your mouth, and you’ll do just about anything to finally get a full night’s sleep!
You’re the ideal candidate for a hard night guard.
Pros and Cons of Hard Night Guards
As the name implies, hard night guards are thicker, more durable oral splints. These devices are usually made from acrylic and copolyester or another rigid material built to withstand external forces.
Hard night guards are often thick and bulky — ideal for severe grinders, but not so great for comfort.
However, their long lifespan and durability make them the perfect fit for anyone who wants the benefit of a night guard without worrying about chewing or grinding through it. They provide the strongest protection from teeth grinding and clenching, giving your jaw muscles the much-needed rest they deserve and lowering your risk of tooth damage and TMJ (temporomandibular joint) disorders.
Not everyone needs a hard night guard. They’re usually reserved for patients with severe teeth grinding and clenching or those who need extra protection to keep their teeth safe from further damage. Hard night guards are also prescribed for some people with TMJ disorders (TMDs) to manage their symptoms.
These durable night guards are beneficial for extreme bruxers. They protect against teeth grinding and clenching damage and have a long lifespan. On the other hand, they’re often more expensive because they need to be customized, and their lack of flexibility and enhanced rigidity mean they can be uncomfortable until you get used to them.
One important point is that poorly fitted hard night guards apply external force to the teeth and could shift the bite. Custom-fit guards, like those we fabricate at JS Dental Lab, reduce this risk.
Who Should and Shouldn’t Use a Hard Night Guard?
If you’re looking for a marked reduction in symptoms like snoring, damage to enamel, and jaw muscle tension, add a custom-made hard night guard to your JS Dental Lab cart. But if you know you won’t wear it because it takes time to get used to and isn’t that comfortable, look for other options.
Mild or occasional bruxers and those with sensitive mouths can choose from more flexible night guards, like the soft or hybrid (dual-laminate).
Hybrid Night Guards
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Are you an average bruxer who knows you’re grinding, but — short of the morning headaches and dental attrition — it doesn’t really bother you? Can you sleep soundly until your child/dog/cat stands over your bed staring at you, jerking you awake? Did you wear a retainer without too many issues when you were younger?
If you can respond “yes” to all of these questions, a hybrid night guard might be the ideal solution to your teeth grinding and jaw clenching woes.
Pros and Cons of Hybrid Night Guards
Hybrid dental guards, also called dual-laminate night guards, give patients the best of both worlds. They’re comfortable enough to wear without keeping you awake all night, yet durable enough that you likely won’t grind through them any time soon.
These oral appliances are distinctive because they have a dual layer of protection:
- Soft inner layer for cushioning the teeth
- Hard outer layer for resistance against grinding and long-term durability
The inner layer is designed to be flexible, so it’s made from materials like silicone or EVA (ethylene-vinyl acetate), a thermoplastic polymer made famous for its rubberish quality. The outer layer uses more rigid materials like acrylic or hard thermoplastics to protect the teeth from outside forces.
The end result is the ideal solution for those looking for both comfort and durability.
However, these night guards must be custom-made by a professional to ensure they fit your teeth correctly. Hybrid night guards made from high-quality materials can last 1-3 years (depending on how well you maintain them and how severe your grinding is).
Who Should and Shouldn’t Use a Hybrid Night Guard?
The best person for a hybrid night guard is someone with moderate to heavy grinding or anyone with a TMD looking to manage their symptoms (if their TMJ specialist agrees).
These handy devices work for almost everyone, but if you have a medical condition like a TMD or obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), always talk to your doctor before using a night guard or any new treatment methods.
Daytime Guards
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Does stress make you grind your teeth throughout the day? Do you regularly catch yourself squaring your shoulders and making impressions that cause people to compare you to the Hulk?
If so, you may have a condition called awake bruxism. A daytime bruxism splint could help save your teeth from damage while you work through your stress coping mechanisms or figure out why you’re grinding.
Pros and Cons of Daytime Guards
Day guards (daytime bruxism splints) are similar to clear aligners in that you can’t really see them from a distance. These dental appliances are worn in situations that tend to cause you to grind your teeth, such as school or work.
Daytime guards are thinner than night guards. They resemble some whitening trays, but are made from hard acrylic. Still, they’re thin (usually no more than 1.5 mm) to be comfortable enough to wear on your teeth for hours and effectively reduce jaw pain, tooth wear, and grinding-related headaches.
Some day guards cover the back teeth only, while others are more like night guards, covering the whole upper or lower arch. Both options offer protection against grinding while keeping your speech clear.
This oral appliance is ideal for minimizing attrition and enamel erosion. It gives your jaw muscles a chance to rest, reducing pressure on them and alleviating many of the aches and pains that come with teeth grinding and jaw clenching. Some TMJ specialists recommend these to manage symptoms of a temporomandibular joint disorder.
Who Should and Shouldn’t Use a Daytime Guard?
Bruxism comes in two types: awake and asleep. Daytime guards are not meant to be worn while sleeping, but they work well for those who grind their teeth when they’re focused or stressed.
As long as you’re organized enough to avoid losing the splint and you keep it clean, day guards can be beneficial!
However, if you were frequently digging your retainer out of the trash and haven’t changed much since those days, that could be a problem. For that same reason, children are usually not prime candidates for daytime guards.
Choosing Between Upper and Lower Night Guards
You’ve decided which night guard (or day guard) is right for your grinding scenario. Now, do you want the upper or the lower version?
This is one of those times when you can’t have both — wearing two night guards at the same time can cause complications, such as a shift in jaw alignment and extra strain on the jaw muscles.
Several factors can help you make an informed decision:
Personal Preference
Some people prefer an upper arch guard, which is less intrusive than a lower guard and lets your tongue move freely. Lower guards are smaller and are ideal for those with a sensitive gag reflex.
Grinding Severity
Severity of grinding and your pain symptoms matter, too. Bruxers with jaw muscle tension will benefit from a lower or upper arch, but those with TMJ disorders might want an upper arch to avoid anything compressing the delicate joint.
Type of Bite
Upper night guards are often recommended for people with deep bites, and lower night guards are reserved for those with underbites.
Dental History
The night guard can cover crowns, implants, and fillings for extra protection from grinding damage.
Where Your Guard Comes From
Over-the-counter varieties at the drugstore, like boil-and-bite and one-size-fits-all, are easy to buy and cheap, too. However, they’re made from subpar materials that don’t last long and can add extra pressure to your teeth and jaw joint, leading to shifting and increased pain.
Professional night guards at the dentist’s office are top-quality and custom-made, but you’ll pay extra for the visits, fittings, and lab fees.
Instead of choosing between two extremes, head to JS Dental Lab, where you get professional-quality custom-fit night guards and daytime guards at a fraction of the cost of the dentist’s. With the impressions of your teeth you send us in the mail, our dental professionals craft a top-quality oral appliance made of durable materials and a comfortable fit for you, and you never have to leave the house.
Conclusion
Hard, soft, hybrid, or daytime? The type of dental night guard matters for your teeth-clenching solution. But, more importantly for the best fit, so does the material it’s made from. At JS Dental Lab, all our different types of night guards are fabricated in the USA from high-quality, professional materials.
When you’re ready to see why so many people use night guards as the best line of defense against mild to severe bruxism, visit our website and use our easy ordering process to grab your custom-made night guard today!
