Why a Custom Mouthguard?

What is the difference between the less costly boil and bite mouthguards versus a custom mouthguard made by a dentist?

Many patients come and see us with wear and tear on their incisal edges, sore teeth, sore jaw joints, and even broken teeth. Most of the time, these patients are clenching and grinding their teeth, either in their sleep unconsciously or throughout their day-to-day. When we recommend making them a mouthguard, some say “well I already have one and I got it from a drug store”. The issue with boil and bite mouthguards, while they do protect your teeth from moving and cracking, they do not actually provide proper protection to your muscles and joints that may be working with or against your teeth.

You can actually do more harm than good with these types of mouthguards. They cause resistance to grinding which can ultimately cause muscles and joints to cramp. And if the muscles and joints do not cramp, then the teeth will give and start to become sore from the resistant pressure caused by grinding on a mouthguard that is not smooth and easy to grind on.

We have created a mouthguard that not only has an acrylic platform that allows for smooth harmless grinding, but it also only fits on your upper teeth, and extremely tight, so no spitting it out at night and finding it under your pillow or at your feet. This guard is made to have your back teeth disengage while the front 4 teeth pick up stress (to give the back teeth a break). It also creates a constant opening between your teeth which aids in sleep apnea cases.