Can I Wear a Night Guard if I Have Dentures or Missing Teeth?

If you’re a teeth grinder, you’re clenching your jaw unconsciously, usually in your sleep. Those overworked jaw muscles don’t care if you’re missing any teeth or have implants or dentures.

Still, your unconscious bite force can damage the restorations and dentures just as it harms the natural tooth enamel. A night guard could help, but can you wear it if you have missing teeth or dentures?

Here, we’ll explain how bruxism works, why you can still have this problem even if you don’t have teeth, and how to find the right night guard for your dental situation.

Understanding Bruxism and Your Oral Health

We know that we have to watch for dental issues like bleeding gums and tooth decay, but bruxism is a lesser-known oral health problem. 

Technically a sleep movement disorder, a sleep bruxism diagnosis means you grind your teeth and clench your jaw while asleep. You can also have awake bruxism, grinding and clenching unconsciously when you’re stressed, tense, or frustrated. Some people grind as a habit when they’re focused intently on something. 

However, it’s easier to catch awake grinding before the damage is too far gone because you’re more likely to notice the pain and stop bruxing. That’s not the case for sleep bruxing, making it the more damaging of the two conditions.

What Happens When You Grind Your Teeth in Your Sleep?

Sleep bruxism usually happens in the early stages of slumber when you transition through your sleep cycles. These arousals don’t wake you, but your brain is more alert. It tells your jaw muscles to clench and grind.

This brings your upper and lower arches together, and the tooth enamel begins to wear away. If you don’t have teeth or do have dental restorations, the pressure and grinding impact the gums or your implants or crowns instead.

While experts aren’t sure what causes this connection, ongoing research shows that bruxism and stress are intricately linked. The grinding could be a way of releasing excess stress hormones. But there are other reasons you might be bruxing, such as:

• TMJ (temporomandibular joint disorder)
• Excessive caffeine or alcohol use
• Genetics
• Tobacco use
• Crooked teeth (malocclusion)

Whatever the reason behind your nocturnal grinding, the results can be side effects like wear and tear on the teeth, headaches, facial muscle pain, fatigue, and more.

Grinding can be mild to severe, and the symptoms you’ll notice will depend on the severity and frequency of your condition.

Long-term bruxism can lead to more substantial medical conditions, like TMJ disorders that damage the joint that connects your jaw to your skull. You may also end up with periodontitis, a chronic gum disease that’s connected to heart disease, osteoporosis, and even dementia.

Night Guards, Gum Guards, and Your Bruxism

Maybe you’ve recently started to notice the signs that something is not quite normal in your mouth, and it sounds like it could be bruxism. Or your dentist caught those signs before you did, and you don’t want the problem to worsen. 

No matter how long you’ve been a bruxer, you can prevent this condition from causing more damage than it already has.

But the answer to your problem depends on whether you have most of your natural teeth and a few implants or missing teeth, or dentures.

The Basics of Night Guards 

The first — and simplest — line of defense against bruxism is a night guard. 

This oral appliance works similarly to a retainer, sliding over the upper or lower arches of your mouth. Unlike a retainer, though, the night guard is shaped like your teeth (rather than the roof of the mouth) and slides over the selected arch. This design prevents the top and bottom teeth from touching, which stops teeth grinding damage.

Over-the-Counter

Night guards come in various styles, including OTC (over-the-counter), boil-and-bite, and custom-fit. Your cheapest option is OTC, but this one-size-fits-all solution is usually bulky, uncomfortable, and slides over your gums. The friction of the appliance on soft gum tissue could lead to mouth sores and gingivitis. (Keep reading: 5 Dental Night Guard Side Effects [+ Solutions])

These guards are also made from cheaper materials. If you’re a moderate or severe bruxer, you may bite through them quickly and have to buy another one, negating any real savings.

Custom-Fit Night Guards

On the other hand, custom-fit guards are pricier but created from an impression of your teeth. Custom-made night guards can be selected to match your level of grinding.

Soft guards are considered the most comfortable and work well for occasional and mild grinders, while hard guards are intended for severe grinding cases. Hybrid night guards combine durability with comfort and are ideal for mild to moderate bruxing. (Discover: Hard vs. Soft Night Guards: What's the Difference?)

These types of dental appliances are offered at your dentist’s office for hundreds of dollars or more. However, they are also available online at reputable companies, such as the high-quality, professional products we provide at JS Dental Lab. 

With your order, you’ll receive an impression kit and everything else you need to create your clear custom night guard through the mail at a fraction of the cost of your dentist’s night guard and office visits. Your night guard might even be covered through your HSA or FSA.

Learn how it works!

Gum Guards

Still, one thing all night guards have in common is they slide over your natural teeth, implants, and restorations.

But what if you don’t have most of your natural teeth, and you’re still grinding? That’s where a gum guard can help.

Leaving your dentures in isn’t the best solution. Most dentists recommend you don’t wear your dentures while sleeping, but if you do, they will be on the receiving end of your nocturnal clenching and grinding. Unless you want to replace your dentures frequently, remove them from your mouth before you go to bed.

However, taking your false teeth out doesn’t stop the motion of your jaw’s clenching and grinding.

Instead of eroding tooth enamel, your gum tissue begins to feel the effects of gum-on-gum grinding. If you have partial dentures, the teeth grind against the gums, causing even more damage. 

Choosing the Right Night Guard For Your Teeth

To understand what happens to teeth-on-gums grinding, try biting the inside of your mouth behind your lower lip. Put as much pressure as possible (without hurting yourself), then grind back and forth for a few seconds. 

Imagine that motion — with even more pressure — happening for hours while you sleep and going on for months or longer. You can start to easily see how gum damage, jawbone loss, mouth sores, and irritation are natural side effects of bruxism.

A gum guard, also called a night guard for denture wearers, can be fashioned to protect your sensitive mouth tissue from the effects of bruxism. There are different guards for those with partial dentures versus full dentures, so finding the right type of oral appliance for you on the first try matters:

Night Guards for Full Denture Wearers

When you have full dentures but don’t sleep with them, a gum guard can help. Similar to a night guard, gum guards are made from a putty-style impression of your upper or lower mouth when your teeth are removed. You only need one or the other (top or bottom).

Before you go to sleep, remove your dentures and slide your gum guard over your gums. This appliance's protection will prevent the gums from gaining traction and damaging the soft tissue.

Some people choose to sleep with their full dentures on. If that’s you, consider wearing a soft night guard on your upper or lower teeth to keep your expensive dentures from becoming damaged by bruxism.

Night Guards for Partial Denture Wearers

Partial denture wearers have more options.

You have some false teeth, but you’re still trying to keep the rest of your natural teeth safe from the effects of grinding. A soft night guard over your partials can form a protective barrier to prevent damage to dentures, restorations, and natural teeth.

For more severe grinding, a hybrid night guard provides the same protection but reduces the likelihood of grinding through the appliance.

Night Guards When You Have Missing Teeth

If you’ve been considering a night guard for your bruxing solution but are worried because you’re missing a few teeth, you can set your worries aside! 

Unless you have multiple teeth missing in the same area (making it difficult for a night guard to stay in place), you can use a regular soft, hard, or hybrid guard.

You only need a lower or upper teeth guard, so consider where most of your missing teeth are and opt for the opposite guard. (If you have a few teeth missing on the top row, get a bottom guard, and vice versa.) 

If you’re unsure which custom mouth guard is right for you, take our quick and easy JS Dental Lab quiz or reach out to our helpful, friendly professionals for more advice. Our dental night guards are professional-quality, BPA-free, made in the USA, and backed by a perfect fit satisfaction guarantee. 

Conclusion

Wearing dentures or having missing teeth doesn’t stop you from developing the behaviors of bruxism, and it shouldn’t keep you from being protected from teeth clenching and grinding damage. 

Your options depend on factors like whether you have full or partial dentures, dental implants, or multiple missing teeth. Connecting with our professionals at JS Dental Lab can help you decide whether you need a soft, hybrid, or hard night guard or a gum guard for your teeth-grinding solutions.