How Should a Night Guard Fit?
4th Aug 2024
When you start anything for the first time, you’ll undoubtedly be full of questions and concerns. Just like starting to wear a mouthguard for the first time, it might feel strange. You might also wonder if your night guard is fitting properly and you’ll want to know how should a night guard fit.
As a teeth grinder and clencher myself, I know exactly what a night guard feels like, and I remember how strange it felt having that foreign object in my mouth and touching my lips at first.
The first few nights that I wore my night guard, I felt some pressure and the dental guard felt extremely tight on my teeth, but now that I’m used to it, it doesn’t feel strange at all.
In fact, I now have trouble sleeping if I forget to wear my night guard.
Why Would You Need a Night Guard?
Night guards are custom mouthpieces that you wear at night to prevent damage from teeth grinding. People often grind or clench their teeth while sleeping without realizing it. This can wear down, crack or loosen the teeth over time.
The night guard acts as a protective barrier between the upper and lower teeth, cushioning the jaw and reducing strain on the teeth and jaw muscles. Using a night guard can help stop tooth damage, ease jaw pain and headaches, and improve sleep quality.
If your dentist determines you have a teeth-grinding problem, they can recommend the right night guard for you as a prevention of possible tooth damage.
How Should a Night Guard Fit?
Many people are surprised at how tight their night guard fits when they first start wearing it; it might feel strange or uncomfortable, which can lead you to wonder if your night guard actually fits correctly. But you may be asking yourself, how do I know if my night guard fits properly.
Night Guards Should Fit Snugly
The first important thing to understand about the fit of your dental guard is that it should pop into place and fit very snugly. You won’t need to use the teeth on your opposite jaw to keep your night guard in place. This is true whether you have a night guard for your top teeth or your bottom teeth, as well as whether you have a soft or hard night guard.
Is a mouth guard supposed to be tight? That tight fit is actually what tells you that your night guard is fitting correctly. Remember that you got impressions taken of your teeth so your night guard would fit like a glove using this impression and be custom to you. If it doesn’t fit like a glove, something is wrong.
Your mouth guard should feel like it’s securely holding your teeth exactly where they should be. It shouldn’t, however, feel like it’s putting so much pressure on your teeth that it’s moving them like it would if you were wearing Invisalign.
If you’re worried that your night guard is too tight, wait and see how your teeth feel in the morning. For the first few nights, you might experience a little bit of soreness as your teeth get used to the night guard, but your teeth shouldn’t feel extremely sore, nor should they ache.
Over the first several days or weeks of regular use, your mouth will adjust and adapt to the night guard. It will start to feel more natural and comfortable as your muscles relax and get used to having it in place while you sleep.
If the night guard ever feels excessively tight or causes significant discomfort even after an adjustment period like breathing problems, you should contact your dentist.
They can evaluate the fit and make any necessary modifications to ensure the night guard is as comfortable as possible while still providing the necessary protection for your teeth and jaw. With some patience and regular use, that snug, custom fit will start to feel normal and this treatment will start to be effective.
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A Night Guard Shouldn’t Touch the Gums
Another important aspect about the fit of your night guard, which is important to understand, is that it won’t be molded to your teeth all the way down to the gum in the front. It's normal for this to have a slight gap between the front edge and your gum line. This is intentional to prevent any pinching or rubbing against the gums, which could otherwise cause soreness or inflammation.
Some people expect their night guard to fit all the way to the gum like Invisalign or orthodontic retainers, but that isn’t the case. Because your night guard is only designed to protect your teeth from grinding and clenching, it doesn’t need to completely surround your teeth all the way to the gum.
Depending on the bite and the alignment of your teeth, your night guard might extend further up some teeth than others (e.g. front teeth v.s. back teeth), but in general, it will only cover about half of your tooth unlike the stock mouthguards used by athletes against impact.
The Bite Surface Will be Flat or Indented
You should also be aware of the design of the occlusal surface of your night guard. This is the part of the night guard that comes in contact with your opposite jaw.
It might not seem like that side of your night guard has anything to do with how your night guard fits, but it’s very important. Understanding how your night guard should fit helps ensure proper dental health so you can know when something feels wrong.
There are two different types of occlusal surfaces:
1. Indented Occlusal
An indented occlusal surface has an indentation, which allows your upper and lower teeth to rest in their natural position. If designed and fabricated properly, the indented surface should not stop your teeth from moving laterally while you grind them, but it can discourage that motion.
This means a night guard with an indented occlusal surface might help reduce your grinding.
At Pro Teeth Guard, we make the majority of our night guards with an indented occlusal surface, but we can also make flat surfaces upon request.
However, the major drawback of an indented occlusal surface is that if you’re a heavy grinder, it could cause tired or sore jaw muscles when you wake up after grinding against the resistance of the indent.
2. Flat Occlusal
A flat occlusal surface is flat, and it allows your jaw to flow freely. While this type of night guard doesn’t discourage grinding in any way, it still protects your teeth against clenching and grinding.
It is more comfortable for some people, especially those heavy grinders who face resistance against an indented occlusal surface.
Regardless of the type of night guard you have, it might feel bulky or odd in your mouth, but you should get used to it over time, and it should never be painful.
If you’re experiencing pain or you just can’t get used to it, contact us and we can help assess the problem. Perhaps you need new impressions taken, you should try a different type of night guard with different materials, or you need to switch to either an indented or flat occlusal surface.
You might also find that you like either a guard for your upper teeth or lower teeth better.
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Side Effects of a Bad Night Guard Fit
A bad fit can result in a variety of side effects. If you’re concerned that your night guard is not fitting correctly, keep an eye out for the following side effects.
If you experience one or more of these, it’s time to have your fit reevaluated.
- The night guard falls out, leaving teeth vulnerable
- Night guard irritates or cuts gums, cheeks, or tongue
- Sore and aching teeth
- Extreme jaw soreness or pain
- Shifting teeth
Custom vs. Over-the-Counter Night Guards
Because all night guards are different, the fit is going to vary depending on the type of dental guard you have.
Over-the-counter one-size-fits-all all-night guards might feel too loose, too small, or too bulky in your mouth. But is a mouth guard supposed to be loose?
Over-the-counter boil-and-bite guards allow you to place the mouth guard in hot water and then shape it to your teeth. This will provide a better fit than one-size-fits-all guards; however, it’ll still be relatively bulky compared to the custom guards.
Custom-fit night guards fit much more snugly than over-the-counter mouth guards, typically leading to better comfort and protection.
Types of Custom Mouth Guards
No matter what type of material you choose for a custom night guard, a professionally made custom-fit night guard should always have a snug and secure fit.
1. Soft Night Guards
Soft night guards might feel more comfortable than hard night guards that are more rigid. With a soft night guard, you might not feel as much pressure as you would with a hard night guard.
2. Hard Night Guards
A hard night guard will most likely feel the most snug on your teeth. When you use a hard night guard from Pro Teeth Guard, you can help it fit correctly and comfortably by running it under warm water before placing it on your teeth. This softens the material a little bit so it perfectly fits your teeth every time.
3. Dual Laminate Night Guards
Dual laminate night guards are soft on the inside but hard on the outside. Again, you might not feel quite as much pressure or tightness with this type of night guard.
- Most Popular
- Hard Outside, Soft Inside
- 2MM Thick
- Moderate / Heavy
- Most Durable
- Hard Materials
- 1.5MM Thick
- Heavy / Severe
- For Day Time Use
- Thin, Barely Visible
- 1MM Thick
- Light / Moderate
- For Clenching
- Flexible & Soft
- 1.5MM Thick
- Light / Moderate
How to Get a Night Guard That Fits Perfectly
Getting a perfect fit for your night guard is really important. The best way to achieve that is to have it custom-made by a professional.
When you get a custom night guard, they take precise impressions of your teeth. This allows the dental lab to fabricate a guard that perfectly matches the unique contours of your mouth. The fit will be snug and secure, with the guard hugging every curve and crevice of your bite.
Compared to an over-the-counter night guard, a custom one will give you a much tighter, more comfortable fit. Those generic guards just can't conform as closely to your individual teeth and jaw shape. An ill-fitting night guard can actually cause problems like irritation, difficulty speaking or excessive saliva.
With a custom night guard from a company like Pro Teeth Guard, you have the added benefit of their customer support and fit guarantee. If there are any issues with the initial impressions or manufacturing, they'll work to get you a night guard that fits flawlessly.
The key is starting with an accurate mold of your teeth. From there, the custom fabrication process ensures your night guard will feel secure, stable, and tailored perfectly to your mouth. That's the best way to get a night guard that stays comfortably in place all night long.
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What Causes Teeth Grinding?
While the exact cause of bruxism or teeth grinding, is unknown, it has been linked to stress, anxiety, sleep apnea, TMJ (temporomandibular joint dysfunction), and jaw misalignment.
The purpose of your night guard for bruxism (teeth grinding and clenching) is to create a physical barrier between your top teeth and bottom teeth. This barrier works to improve your oral health and reduce or even eliminate the negative side effects caused by your bruxism.
Benefits of Wearing a Night Guard
When your night guard fits correctly, you’ll reap all the benefits of wearing a night guard, which includes protecting your teeth from chips and cracks and eliminating side effects of bruxism like jaw pain, facial pain, and headaches.
The teeth you have are the only ones you’re ever going to get, so you must do everything in your power to protect them. For many people, that means wearing a custom-made night guard.
Start protecting your teeth today and eliminate any pain! Get your custom-made night guard now!"
Sources:
- Sedler, A. (2021, March 8). Occlusal Guards and Splints - Burbank Dental Lab. Burbank Dental Lab. https://burbankdental.com/guarding-occlusion/
- Dentist. (2019, May 6). Custom VS Off-The-Shelf Mouthguards. 123Dentist. https://123dentist.com/custom-vs-off-the-shelf.
- Most Popular
- Hard Outside, Soft Inside
- 2MM Thick
- Moderate / Heavy
- Most Durable
- Hard Materials
- 1.5MM Thick
- Heavy / Severe
- For Day Time Use
- Thin, Barely Visible
- 1MM Thick
- Light / Moderate
- For Clenching
- Flexible & Soft
- 1.5MM Thick
- Light / Moderate
