If left unaddressed, bruxism - in other words, teeth grinding - can become one of the most annoying problems that you’ll have to deal with, both while sleeping, and while being awake. That is why you should be looking for the best mouth guard for teeth grinding.
However, while there are many different teeth grinding mouth guards out there, not all of them are going to provide you with “top-tier” grinding protection. That is why, in this article, we’ll not only talk about bruxism and why it should be addressed early on, but will also take a brief look at some of the most prominent best night guard for teeth grinding reviews.
The mouth guard that we’ll be looking at are:
Mouth Guard for Teeth Grinding: Why Should You Care?
As I’ve mentioned earlier, bruxism can be super annoying, and if it’s left untreated, it can lead to various different issues, in the long run. The main problem with this condition is that it’s seemingly untreatable - while there are certain ways of how you can alleviate it, it’s bound to come back, in the long run.
The very first issue that teeth grinding can cause is chipped teeth - that’s probably self-explanatory. Depending on the severity of the problem, and the duration for which it exists, you could be looking at minimal and close-to-no damage… Or some serious chipping.
Nighttime grinders who are not using a mouth guard for teeth grinding are likely going to notice that their jaws feel “locked up” in the morning - this is one of the signals that you’ve probably been hard at grinding your teeth for some time during the night. Locked jaws are a nuisance in of themselves - add pain to that, and it can get truly troublesome.
You know the feeling when you’re suddenly woken up at the wrong time, and for the upcoming 5-10 minutes feel as if your body is still sleeping? That feeling’s called “sleep inertia”, and it’s most prominent when you wake up during a deep stage of sleep[1]. Well, sleeping without a mouth guard for teeth grinding when you have bruxism can cause exactly that - sudden wake-up.
That’s honestly the area where the not-so-suddenly-apparent damage of bruxism really does excel - while no one wants chipped teeth and painful jaws, the fact that your sleep quality is heavily hindered shouldn’t be overlooked, either.
Finding the Best Mouth Guard for Yourself
Before we get into the details and definitions of the best mouth guard for teeth grinding, let me make something clear - in this article, we’re mainly talking about nighttime mouth guards. While some of the products that we’ll skim over below are likely going to be suitable for daytime use, too, the focus of this list is still centered around the best night guard for teeth grinding reviews.
So, how does one pick the right mouth guard for teeth grinding for yourself? Well, there are a few things to keep in mind, first.
For starters, you should decide what type of a mouth guard you’d like for yourself. There are two big groups to choose from - customized guards and “boil-and-bite” ones.
A customized mouth guard for teeth grinding is exactly what it sounds like - it’s a mouth guard that is custom-made for your own, specific mouth. These mouth guards are usually the “preferred ones”, since they feel the best when you put them in your mouth.
The other big group - the “boil-and-bit” ones - is a lot more simple. Just as the name implies, this type of a mouth guard for teeth grinding should be placed in boiling water. After you keep it there for a short period of time, you should then take it out and bite into it, as hard as you can. This will shape the mouth guard, and it will become “fitted” for your own mouth.
Needless to say, a boil-and-bite guard will never be as well-appropriated for your mouth as a custom one. That said, these products tend to be a whole lot cheaper than their counterparts.
As for other features of a mouth guard for teeth grinding, you should look at the material from which it is made. Most of the time, it’s going to be a mixture of plastic and latex, but what you should look for is BPA-free plastic - what this means is basically that the guard isn’t made from potentially dangerous materials.
Finally, durability. As with any other product out there, you’re likely going to want your mouth guard for teeth grinding to be, well… Durable. Naturally, though, the durability aspect depends on just how severe your bruxism is - if you’re a light teeth grinder, you won’t require the sturdiest of mouth guards, and vice versa.
Now, with all of that said, you should have a pretty good idea of what to look for when choosing the best mouth guard for teeth grinding for yourself. Without further ado, let’s take a look at some of the best mouth guards of the year.