My mouth just doesn't like my mouthguard...

June 1, 2024 9:15 AM

I was able to go in and get my mouthguard adjusted, as per my previous Ask. I now have no problem falling asleep with it inserted, but when I wake up, it's been taken out. How do I stop this from happening?

When I fall asleep, my mouthguard is snugly on my teeth, but not to the point where it's uncomfortable. I invariably wake up in the middle of the night and then go back to the sleep. It must be at that point when I remove the mouthguard unconsciously, because when I wake up, my mouthguard is next to me, or on my nightstand. This has happened every night since I started using my mouthguard (about 4 nights so far).

It's annoying because I want to protect my teeth. Any suggestions on how to stop this (unconscious) behavior?

posted by thoughtful_analyst to Health & Fitness (7 answers total)

Half a night with a mouthguard is better than no mouthguard at all, and four nights is a really short time for you to get used to something like this. Keep doing what you're doing; you'll either get used to the mouthguard or you won't, but you're already getting something like 50% of the maximum benefit (as opposed to 0% before) of wearing the mouthguard for the entire night.
posted by heatherlogan at 9:40 AM on June 1 [10 favorites]

You could try mouth tape (if you can reliably breathe through your nose) or a chin strap. Either might wake you up enough that you can decide not to take the mouthguard out, which gets you over the hump so that it eventually becomes comfortable enough that you can stop with the tape/strap.
posted by blnkfrnk at 10:04 AM on June 1

I tape my mouth for breathing reasons, but I don't trust my nose so completely that I tape my mouth completely sealed; I use a piece of tape as big as my thumbprint, which keeps my mouth closed while allowing me to breathe/cough if needs must through the corners of my mouth.

I use 3M Nexcare cloth tape, and it doesn't leave a residue in the morning, nor does it torture my lips when I remove it.
posted by Sunburnt at 11:40 AM on June 1 [1 favorite]

I am not a dentist, doctor, etc., but unless your dentist has told you that you are in urgent danger of severe damage, I would give yourself a few weeks to adjust. Most people don't sleep with stuff in their mouth, and it's weird to get used to. I think it was maybe a month (?) before I didn't occasionally remove it in the night.

There's also the possibility that a ghost, demon, goblin, or other supernatural entity is removing it while you sleep, but that feels like it would have to be a separate Ask.
posted by cupcakeninja at 12:00 PM on June 1 [2 favorites]

At least another few weeks to get used the mouthguard, definitely. Another physical-deterrent idea, for the time being: covering your fingers, or hands (cloth tape, cotton sleep gloves, thin mittens... oven mitts), might make you aware-enough of attempts that you can halt them.
posted by Iris Gambol at 3:29 PM on June 1

When I first got my mouthguard it would always start bugging me at some point in the night and I would take it out. The first week I doubt I ever kept it in more than a few hours. It gradually started bothering me less and less and eventually it was no big deal to keep it in all night. I bet you'll stop unconsciously taking yours out, but it might be a few weeks or even a couple of months before you get to that point.
posted by Redstart at 4:26 PM on June 1

Response by poster: There's also the possibility that a ghost, demon, goblin, or other supernatural entity is removing it while you sleep, but that feels like it would have to be a separate Ask.

Hahaha! I will need to do that. 😅

Thanks, everyone. I'll sit (lay?) it out and see how it goes in the next few weeks. :)
posted by thoughtful_analyst at 9:17 PM on June 1