Mail-order night guards - any recommendations?
August 8, 2020 9:22 PM Subscribe
I've seen ads for mail-order night guards for teeth grinding: the company sends you a kit to make an impression, then they fabricate and send your guard to you. Some have replacement schemes as well where you can get replacements sent to you. Is this a good option? Anyone have any positive experience or can recommend one of the companies out there that does this? I'm in California, USA.
I use a night guard for bruxism (grinding my teeth). I'm not going to the dentist anytime soon due to the pandemic, but I've chewed holes into the two guards I had at the house.
Factors in my night guard selection:
* I use a CPAP at night and the night guard on top of that is... a lot going on with my face while I'm trying to sleep. Therefore I prefer the thinner option of the two types of guards available from my dentist. (I don't know what this means though and would probably just select whatever the thinnest option is from whatever mail-order company.) (Yes this means I chew through them faster but even .5mm of thickness difference is noticeable with the CPAP in the mix as well.)
* I think they're around $100ish from the dentist for a set of 2. Would love this to be less than that if possible or right around the same ballpark. However, I'm not too hung up on cost since I clearly need it and I don't feel comfortable going to a dental office in the current climate.
* If we ever get out of the pandemic, I do plan to go back to my same dentist and would be fine continuing to get future guards from him, but I guess if this night guard experience is awesome I would make a permanent switch.
Please ask if I forgot any key info! Thank you.
I use a night guard for bruxism (grinding my teeth). I'm not going to the dentist anytime soon due to the pandemic, but I've chewed holes into the two guards I had at the house.
Factors in my night guard selection:
* I use a CPAP at night and the night guard on top of that is... a lot going on with my face while I'm trying to sleep. Therefore I prefer the thinner option of the two types of guards available from my dentist. (I don't know what this means though and would probably just select whatever the thinnest option is from whatever mail-order company.) (Yes this means I chew through them faster but even .5mm of thickness difference is noticeable with the CPAP in the mix as well.)
* I think they're around $100ish from the dentist for a set of 2. Would love this to be less than that if possible or right around the same ballpark. However, I'm not too hung up on cost since I clearly need it and I don't feel comfortable going to a dental office in the current climate.
* If we ever get out of the pandemic, I do plan to go back to my same dentist and would be fine continuing to get future guards from him, but I guess if this night guard experience is awesome I would make a permanent switch.
Please ask if I forgot any key info! Thank you.
Have you tried Plackers guards? Basic, not custom but inexpensive and easy to get. I can’t speak to using them with a CPAP, but they’re thin enough to be comfortable. I can get three months wear out of one (your grinding may vary)
posted by sageleaf at 5:20 AM on August 9, 2020
posted by sageleaf at 5:20 AM on August 9, 2020
My husband has a night guard from Pro Teeth Guard. He likes it a lot. It was exactly what you're looking for - they sent a kit, he took a mold, sent it back and got the guard back in about a week. With that being said, it cost way more than what you paid with your dentist. Can your dentist use your old impressions to mail you a new set instead?
posted by little king trashmouth at 4:03 PM on August 9, 2020
posted by little king trashmouth at 4:03 PM on August 9, 2020
My wife uses Cheeky, and really likes them. It was a bit of a hassle getting set up (they thought she needed an upper when she clearly indicated a lower, and they weren't super-communicative about shipping her initial one), but since those bumps have been smoothed out she's really happy with the product. They're not ultra-thin but they're also not chunky, and they shouldn't bother you with the CPAP.
(As an aside, what kind of CPAP mask do you wear? I use nasal pillows instead of a part- or full-face mask, and they're amazing, and would recommend switching to that style of mask if you're able to, depending on your sleep situation.)
posted by pdb at 8:48 PM on August 9, 2020
(As an aside, what kind of CPAP mask do you wear? I use nasal pillows instead of a part- or full-face mask, and they're amazing, and would recommend switching to that style of mask if you're able to, depending on your sleep situation.)
posted by pdb at 8:48 PM on August 9, 2020
second pro teeth guard. had great experience with them and my guard is just like the one my dentist made for $900.
posted by misanthropicsarah at 8:26 AM on August 10, 2020
posted by misanthropicsarah at 8:26 AM on August 10, 2020
Response by poster: Thanks all! I'll look into the recommendations. pdb, I'll message you about CPAPs!
posted by pupstocks at 9:54 PM on August 11, 2020
posted by pupstocks at 9:54 PM on August 11, 2020
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Overall, I found the initial process of creating an impression at home to be a bit cumbersome (you have to follow some very detailed instructions, it can be a bit of a slobbery mess, and then afterwards you have send in a picture of the impression for approval before evening mailing in the impression.). However, I will say that getting a replacement retainer was an absolute breeze. I also use the thinner plastic ones, and also chew through them quite often in periods of stress like, say, a global pandemic. Thankfully, Clear Retain was able to replace the retainer within about 7-10 days, even with covid delays.
I would definitely recommend it as an option - I will probably stick with them for the foreseeable future.
posted by stella1 at 11:20 PM on August 8, 2020