Teeth grinding, a condition also known as bruxism, is very common. Some studies have reported as many as 31.4% of people grind their teeth together at night.
However, grinding your teeth can cause many complications, including wear on your teeth. One study explains that some people may wear down more than a third of their crowns due to teeth grinding.
Even if you buy one of the best mattresses you can buy online, if you grind your teeth at night, you’re probably not getting the rest you need to wake up refreshed.
While some ways to reduce teeth grinding are only available from a dentist or another specialized professional, night guards are a useful tool you can buy yourself to help you stop grinding your teeth.
The Best Night Guards for Teeth Grinding
No matter how good your mattress is, it can’t help you stop grinding your teeth. That’s why it’s important to take other steps to prevent bruxism.
After extensive research, we’ve narrowed it down to the best night guards for teeth grinding. If you find that you suffer from neck pain, jaw pain, headaches, and related problems due to your teeth grinding, you may also want to consult with your dentist to see if they have any other advice. See our Methodology regarding how we score the products on Online Mattress Review.
1. enCore Guards Custom Dental Night Guard
Our top selection for the best night guard for teeth grinding is not the cheapest option available, but it does offer a custom fit that will certainly be more comfortable than an off-the-rack solution.
The enCore Guards Custom Dental Night Guard costs just over $100. It comes in four different options to ensure you get a night guard that is perfect for your mouth, whether you only experience teeth grinding or also suffer from additional problems.
The enCore Guards Custom Dental Night Guard doesn’t use any type of latex or BPA materials, which also means this is a safer option compared to some of the others on the market. It also comes with a 100% satisfaction guarantee.
Strengths We Love:
- With four different types of guards available, there’s one guard for every possible problem! These are hard, soft, daytime hard and dual layer, a hybrid of hard and soft guards. A soft guard, for example, is best for mild teeth grinding and offers the most comfort; a hard guard provides the best protection against severe cases and lasts longer.
- Every guard is customized to the unique shape of its user’s teeth and jaw. This means exceptional comfort and protection against the adverse effects of bruxism.
- More affordable than a dentist-endorsed mouthguard, which can cost hundreds of dollars even with dental insurance.
- All shipping costs are covered by the manufacturer until such time that the customized guard perfectly fits its user’s needs.
- The tamper-proof kit contains everything necessary to take an impression of your mouth – two impression trays, dental impression putty, and instructions on taking your impression. There are also the pre-paid return mailer and the order return form.
- The time between shipping the impression kit to receiving the preferred guard is two weeks, a fairly fast process. The manufacturer also keeps the customer informed about the status of his/her order.
- The guards are comfortable to wear, lightweight yet long-lasting, and do the job as expected.
Things to Consider:
- Individuals 18 years old and below are well-advised to avoid using these guards. But soft guards may be used by children under the supervision of a dentist.
- The guard can’t be used by people who wear dentures, braces and other dental appliances as well as those who have current tooth pain, oral sores, bleeding gums, two or more missing teeth, gum disease or wiggling teeth.
- The guards aren’t designed to absorb shock and, thus, must never be used during athletic activities.
- (All of these aspects are considered normal for any type of mouth guard)
OMR ADVANTAGE SCORE: 9/10
2. JS Dental Lab Custom Dental Night Guard
The JS Dental Lab Custom Dental Night Guard offers a custom fit. It’s a lower bite guard that can be made according to a mold of your teeth and jaw, which means it will fit much better than a generic night guard. This night guard is designed specifically for teeth grinding and helps to reduce tooth damage caused by this condition.
One particular factor that sets the JS Dental Lab Custom Dental Night Guard apart is the fact that it has been approved by dentists. While the process of taking a mold might mean you will have to wait a little longer for the guard to arrive, the extra effort helps ensure a customized night guard that will be more comfortable to sleep in.
Strengths We Love:
- The instructions for the impression process are easy to understand and the steps are easy to do, too. This is important as the wrong impression will result in an ill-fitting guard that won’t serve its purpose.
- The waiting time from mailing the dental impression to receiving the final product is less than expected! Many customers say that they received their guards within 1-2 weeks; the actual time seemed to depend on location.
- Most customers report that their respective guards were easy to use, uber-comfortable, and durable aside from being a breeze to clean. This is due to the perfect fit, the high-quality materials used, and the superb manufacturing quality.
- With a perfect fit, there’s little to no gag reflex, misaligned jaws and other dental issues that come from using the guard over a prolonged period. Your customized guard will do its job, so to speak, in decreasing bruxism.
Things to Consider:
- The guard may not dry as fast as you want it to after washing.
OMR ADVANTAGE SCORE: 9/10
3. Pro Teeth Guard Custom Dental Night Guard for Teeth Grinding
Next up on our list of the best night guards for teeth grinding is one that also comes with quite a high price tag of just under $180. However, the Pro Teeth Guard Custom Dental Night Guard for Teeth Grinding comes with a 110% money-back guarantee, so if it doesn’t work for you, you’ll actually get more than a full refund.
This night guard can be customized to the shape of your mouth. This means it will fit better, which reduces the risk that it may interfere with your sleep at night.
The Pro Teeth Guard Custom Dental Night Guard For Teeth Grinding is durable and is 2mm thick. When you order it, the company will send you a special kit to make a mold of your teeth at home. They will then use the mold to produce your custom night guard.
Strengths We Love:
- It provides the best value for your money since it’s significantly more affordable than a dentist-recommended guard but it does the job well, if not better. The professional quality of the final product belies the fact that part of it was homemade – the dental impression you made at home.
- It’s always customized so the final product fits perfectly in your mouth. You will see positive results – less pain in the teeth and jaw in the morning – after your first use. Successive use will reveal that it’s the best protection for your teeth against bruxism.
- With multiple layers, a dual laminate for the inner layer, and a hard acrylic for the outer layer, it’s as durable as can be. Even people with severe bruxism will find that it will withstand constant pressure from the teeth and jaws.
- Many reviewers say that the seller has amazing customer service, from the generous money-back guarantee to quick action on issues.
Things to Consider:
- There may be an initial plastic-like taste and smell. But it can be removed by soaking the guard in Polident overnight.
- The thicker-than-average material may cause some people to drool a bit in their sleep, but it will soon resolve itself in a week or so when the guard becomes almost like second skin.
OMR ADVANTAGE SCORE: 8/10
honorable mentions
4. ClearClub Custom Dental Guard Night Guard
The ClearClub Custom Dental Night Guard is another one of the best night guards for teeth grinding, especially if you want more customization options. It is reasonably affordable and is constructed with hard acrylic on the outside but a soft material on the inside.
The ClearClub Night Guard is safe for your mouth, with no traces of BPA, or other potentially harmful chemicals, such as latex. It’s a good night guard for people who suffer from allergies. You can make your impression in less than five minutes. This product is USA made.
5. Sentinel Sleep Night Guard for Upper Teeth
The Sentinal Hard Dental Custom Night Guard is made from materials that have been approved by the FDA, so they won’t expose you to BPA.
When you buy this night guard, you’ll receive a DIY impression kit. When you send back your impression, the company will make your custom night guard.
This night guard comes with a superior fit system and a 100% satisfaction guarantee. It works well to reduce teeth flattening and damage from grinding, and may also be useful for reducing symptoms associated with TMJ.
6. Sporting Smiles Custom Flexible Super Hard Dental Teeth Night Guard
Next, we have the Sporting Smiles Custom Flexible Super Hard Dental Teeth Night Guard. You’ll wear this guard on your bottom teeth. This is one of the more comfortable night guards we’ve seen, due to its flexible construction. At the same time, the material is hard enough to prevent the damaging effects of nighttime teeth grinding.
The night guard is 3mm thick, which makes it durable without being too thick for comfort. The Sporting Smiles Custom Flexible Super Hard Dental Teeth Night Guard is custom-made from your dental impressions in a laboratory under the supervision of a qualified dentist.
7. Armor Guard Mouth Dental Guards
The Armor Guard is an affordable but still customized option. It’s made from a soft, flexible material, which makes it quite comfortable. It’s great if you have tooth sensitivity, jaw pain, or headaches if you tend to grind your teeth at night. Do you need to protect your dental work? Armor Guard is the answer!
The Armor Guard Mouth Guard is custom made with its easy to use at-home impression kit. Armor Guard will then send you either two uppers or two lower guards that are made especially just for you. In addition, you can choose from two different materials and your desired thickness.
8. Impact Custom Mouthguards Impact Nightguards Custom Hybrid Night Guard
Another one of the best night guards for teeth grinding that offers a custom fit is the Impact Custom Mouthguards Impact Nightguards Custom Hybrid Night Guard. This hybrid option has a unique design that aims to alleviate TMJ-related pain and reduce teeth grinding, while also being comfortable.
The Impact Custom Mouthguards Impact Nightguards Custom Hybrid Night Guard is available in three different models. First, you can choose between a guard for either the upper or lower jaw. The upper jaw option comes in either a 2mm or a 3mm thickness.
9. Archtek Grind Guard Dental Tray with Case
If you are looking for a more affordable night guard for teeth grinding, consider the Archtek Grind Guard Dental Tray with Case. You can buy it for under $15.
This night guard is a little different from many of the others on our list, as you don’t have to send any molds or impressions to a laboratory. Instead, you can create your own custom-fit night guard in just a few seconds.
The Archtek Grind Guard Dental Tray with Case is simple to customize to your teeth, and customer reviews say it’s comfortable and effective against teeth grinding.
10. Leesgel Moldable Mouth Guard
The last option on our list of the best night guards for teeth grinding is the Leesgel Moldable Mouth Guard, which is also one of the most affordable night guards we’ve seen. A pack of four guards will set you back less than $15, which is great if you happen to lose things or you want to store one at a significant other’s house.
The Leesgel Moldable Mouth Guard is also appropriate for people who experience symptoms associated with TMJ. It’s made from safe materials, which means you will not be exposing your body to harmful chemicals. The molds used to produce these mouthguards are appropriate for people of all ages.
Conclusion
With one of the best night guards for teeth grinding, you can support your jaw and reduce the risk of grinding your teeth while sleeping. This can help to reduce damage to your teeth, as well as help to alleviate jaw and neck pain that may be caused by this condition. Before you buy a night guard, consider your budget and whether you prefer to take an impression and send it back to the manufacturer, or simply custom-fit a night guard yourself.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
- FOODS THAT HELP YOU SLEEP
- BEST TEA TO HELP YOU SLEEP
- THE BEST ESSENTIAL OILS FOR SLEEP
- 5 BEST NATURAL SLEEP AIDS
- SLEEP AIDS AND TIPS FOR YOUR BEST SNOOZE
- THE 10 BEST SLEEP MASKS
- THE 10 BEST ANTI-SNORING DEVICES
