Custom Night Guards in Kitchener for Bruxism and Teeth Grinding
Grinding or clenching your teeth can place considerable force on the teeth and existing dental restorations. Some people are aware that they clench during the day, while others grind or clench during sleep without realizing it.
At MI Dental in Kitchener, we provide custom dental night guards for patients who show signs of damaging tooth wear, fractures or other effects associated with bruxism.
A night guard does not necessarily stop the grinding or clenching behaviour itself. Its primary purpose is to create a protective barrier between the teeth and reduce the direct tooth-to-tooth damage that can occur during sleep.
Every appliance is selected and adjusted according to the patient’s teeth, bite and clinical findings rather than using the same design for everyone.
What Is Bruxism?
Bruxism refers to repetitive jaw-muscle activity that can include clenching or grinding the teeth.
It can occur:
- During sleep, when the patient may be completely unaware of it
- While awake, often as clenching or sustained tooth contact
Some people have mild bruxism without developing significant dental problems.
In other patients, repeated or heavy forces may contribute to:
- Flattened or worn teeth
- Chipped enamel
- Cracked teeth
- Damage to fillings, crowns or other restorations
- Tooth sensitivity
- Sore or tired jaw muscles
- Facial discomfort
- Headaches in some patients
A sleeping partner may occasionally hear grinding sounds, but many patients discover the problem because their dentist identifies characteristic wear or damage during an examination.
How Do I Know If I Need a Night Guard?
Not everyone who clenches or grinds requires an appliance.
Before recommending a night guard, we look for evidence that the behaviour is affecting the teeth, restorations or surrounding structures.
Signs we may evaluate include:
- Unusual flattening of tooth surfaces
- Loss of normal cusp or incisal anatomy
- Chipped or fractured enamel
- Repeated fracture of fillings or other restorations
- Cracks in teeth
- Tooth sensitivity associated with wear
- Enlarged or tender chewing muscles
- Reports of nighttime grinding
- Morning jaw-muscle fatigue
- Patterns of tooth wear that appear to be progressing
It is also important to determine whether the wear is actually caused by bruxism.
Acid erosion, abrasive habits, dietary factors and other conditions can also change tooth surfaces.
A night guard should therefore follow diagnosis rather than simply being prescribed because a patient occasionally clenches their teeth.
What Does a Night Guard Do?
A dental night guard is an intraoral appliance worn over the teeth, most commonly during sleep.
The appliance creates a physical interface between the upper and lower teeth.
Its primary functions may include:
Protecting Natural Teeth
The guard prevents the opposing teeth from directly grinding against one another.
This can help protect vulnerable enamel and already worn tooth surfaces from continued direct contact.
Protecting Dental Restorations
Patients with crowns, bridges, veneers, implants or extensive fillings may place substantial forces on those restorations if they grind or clench.
A properly designed appliance can provide another layer of protection against direct tooth-to-tooth loading.
Redistributing Occlusal Contact
A professionally made appliance can be adjusted so that contacts occur in a controlled manner across the appliance rather than allowing particular teeth or restorations to receive undesirable concentrated contact.
Providing a Stable Protective Surface
Unlike an over-the-counter appliance that simply separates the teeth, a custom guard can be fitted and adjusted to the patient’s individual dentition and bite.
What a Night Guard Does Not Do
This distinction is important.
A night guard should not automatically be described as a cure for bruxism.
Wearing one does not guarantee that a patient will stop clenching or grinding.
It is also not appropriate to promise that a guard will:
- Permanently eliminate bruxism
- Cure temporomandibular disorders
- Prevent all headaches
- Permanently change the bite
- Place every patient’s jaw into one ideal position
- Prevent every future tooth fracture
- Improve sleep quality in every patient
The primary reason we prescribe a conventional bruxism appliance is protection of the teeth and restorations.
Some patients may also notice changes in muscle symptoms or comfort, but those responses vary and should not be assumed before treatment.
Bruxism, Jaw Pain and TMD Are Not the Same Thing
Patients often use the terms bruxism, TMJ and TMD interchangeably, but they describe different things.
Bruxism refers to grinding or clenching behaviour.
The TMJ is the temporomandibular joint itself.
TMD refers to a group of disorders involving the jaw joints, chewing muscles and related structures.
A patient can:
- Grind their teeth without having TMD
- Have TMD without significant bruxism
- Or experience both at the same time
For this reason, jaw pain, clicking, locking or persistent limitation of movement should be evaluated rather than automatically attributed to tooth grinding.
If jaw symptoms are your main concern, read our guide to bruxism, jaw clenching and TMD.
Why Choose a Custom Night Guard?
Drugstore and online mouth guards are readily available, but a professionally fabricated appliance provides several important differences.
Individual Fit
A custom guard is made from a digital record of your own teeth rather than relying on a generic arch shape.
This can improve retention and reduce unnecessary bulk.
Bite Adjustment
The appliance can be evaluated while you bite and move your jaw.
Areas of excessive contact can then be adjusted rather than leaving the appliance exactly as it arrives from the laboratory.
Material and Design Selection
Different patients may require different appliance characteristics depending on:
- The severity and pattern of wear
- Existing restorations
- Available space
- Upper and lower tooth anatomy
- Bite relationships
- History of breaking appliances
- Patient tolerance
There is no single night-guard material or design that is automatically best for everyone.
For a deeper discussion of hard, soft, hybrid, upper, lower and other appliance designs, see our Comprehensive Guide to Dental Night Guards.
Upper or Lower Night Guard?
A custom night guard can be fabricated for either the upper or lower arch.
The choice depends on factors such as:
- Tooth anatomy
- Missing teeth
- Existing crowns, bridges or implants
- Retention
- Available restorative space
- Bite relationships
- Patient comfort
- The opposing dentition
An upper appliance is not automatically superior to a lower appliance, or vice versa.
The design should fit the individual mouth.
Hard, Soft or Hybrid Night Guard?
Night guards can also be made from different materials.
Some appliances are relatively rigid, while others are softer or combine different material characteristics.
Rather than choosing a guard based simply on which material sounds most comfortable, we consider the reason the appliance is being prescribed and the forces it needs to tolerate.
Patients with significant grinding, extensive restorative work or a history of damaging appliances may require a different design from someone with relatively minor wear.
Our guide to the different types of night guards explains these options in greater detail.
How We Make a Custom Night Guard at MI Dental
1. Dental Examination
Before making an appliance, we evaluate the teeth and existing restorations and look for signs of wear, fractures or other damage.
We also discuss symptoms and whether grinding or clenching appears to occur during sleep, while awake or both.
2. Digital Scan
If a night guard is appropriate, we take a digital scan of the teeth.
This creates a three-dimensional record that can be used to fabricate the appliance without a conventional tray impression in many cases.
Records of the opposing arch and bite are also obtained as required.
3. Laboratory Fabrication
The digital records are sent for fabrication of the prescribed appliance.
The material and design are selected according to the treatment objective and patient’s dentition.
4. Fitting Appointment
When the guard is ready, we evaluate:
- Fit
- Retention
- Comfort
- Tooth coverage
- Bite contacts
- Interferences during jaw movement
Adjustments are made when necessary.
5. Home-Care Instructions
We show you:
- How to insert and remove the appliance
- How to clean it
- How to store it
- What changes to watch for
- When to bring it back for assessment
Why the Bite Is Checked After the Guard Is Made
A custom guard should not simply fit over the teeth.
It should also interact appropriately with the opposing arch.
After fabrication, we examine where the teeth contact the appliance and make adjustments when required.
This is particularly relevant for patients who have:
- Crowns
- Bridges
- Dental implants
- Extensive fillings
- Significant tooth wear
- An uneven occlusal pattern
The appliance may also require reassessment after it has been worn for a period of time.
Can a Night Guard Protect Crowns, Veneers and Implants?
Patients with extensive restorative dentistry may particularly benefit from protection against damaging grinding forces when bruxism is present.
A night guard may help protect:
- Natural teeth
- Composite fillings
- Dental crowns
- Porcelain veneers
- Fixed bridges
- Implant-supported restorations
It cannot guarantee that these restorations will never chip, fracture or develop complications.
Its purpose is to reduce direct destructive contact and provide a controlled protective surface during use.
What About Jaw Soreness and Headaches?
Bruxism can occur alongside jaw-muscle soreness, facial discomfort or headaches.
However, these symptoms can have multiple causes.
A night guard should therefore not be prescribed as though every headache or painful jaw is caused by grinding.
Persistent jaw pain, locking, significant limitation of movement, swelling or other concerning symptoms may require additional evaluation.
Patients whose primary concern is jaw pain should be assessed for the underlying problem rather than assuming that a conventional bruxism appliance will necessarily resolve it.
Sleep Bruxism and Sleep Disorders
Sleep bruxism occurs while a patient is asleep and is different from consciously clenching the teeth during the day.
In some situations, a patient’s history may suggest that other sleep-related issues deserve investigation.
If symptoms such as significant snoring, witnessed breathing interruptions, unusual daytime sleepiness or other sleep concerns are present, evaluation by an appropriate medical or sleep professional may be warranted.
A conventional dental night guard is not a treatment for obstructive sleep apnea.
Caring for Your Night Guard
A custom guard should be cleaned and stored appropriately.
General care includes:
- Rinsing the appliance after use
- Cleaning it according to the instructions provided
- Allowing it to dry appropriately
- Keeping it in its protective case when not in use
- Avoiding excessive heat that could distort some materials
- Keeping it away from pets, which have a remarkable talent for finding dental appliances
- Bringing it to dental visits periodically for inspection
We can check the appliance for:
- Wear
- Cracks
- Distortion
- Loss of retention
- Changes in bite contacts
- Areas that require adjustment
How Long Does a Custom Night Guard Last?
There is no universal lifespan.
A lightly worn appliance in one patient may remain serviceable for a long period, while a patient with significant grinding can wear through or fracture an appliance much sooner.
Longevity depends on:
- Material
- Appliance thickness
- Grinding intensity
- Bite forces
- Number and position of teeth
- Changes to the dentition
- Care and cleaning
- Accidental damage
A guard should be replaced when it can no longer provide the intended fit, protection or function rather than according to a predetermined number of years.
When Should My Night Guard Be Rechecked?
Bring your appliance with you to routine dental visits or contact the office sooner if:
- It suddenly feels different
- It no longer seats completely
- It becomes loose
- It develops a crack
- You wear through part of it
- A tooth or restoration has changed
- Your bite feels different after removing it
- Wearing it causes new or increasing discomfort
Dental work can also change the way an existing appliance fits.
A new crown, filling, bridge or other restoration may require adjustment or replacement of the guard.
Night Guard vs. Sports Mouthguard
Both appliances cover teeth, but they are designed for very different purposes.
A night guard is intended for use during sleep to protect teeth and restorations from the effects of grinding or clenching.
An athletic mouthguard is designed to protect the mouth from impact during sports.
One should not normally be substituted for the other.
Custom Night Guards at MI Dental in Kitchener
If your teeth show progressive wear, restorations repeatedly chip or fracture, or you suspect that you grind or clench while sleeping, the first step is to determine whether bruxism is actually causing damage and whether an appliance would be useful.
At MI Dental in Kitchener, we assess the teeth, existing dental work and bite before prescribing a custom night guard.
When an appliance is appropriate, we use digital records to create a guard designed for your individual dentition and then evaluate and adjust it after fabrication.
If you think you may be grinding your teeth, book an appointment at MI Dental to have the wear pattern and your restorative needs assessed.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if I grind my teeth at night?
You may not know. A sleeping partner sometimes hears grinding, while other patients are first identified through tooth wear, fractured restorations or jaw-muscle symptoms. A dental examination can look for signs consistent with bruxism, although tooth wear can have other causes as well.
Does a night guard stop teeth grinding?
Not necessarily. Its main role is to separate and protect the teeth during grinding or clenching. Some appliances may influence muscle activity, but a conventional night guard should not be presented as a guaranteed way to eliminate bruxism.
Can a night guard help jaw pain?
Some patients with jaw symptoms use intraoral appliances, but jaw pain has many potential causes and a night guard does not reliably treat every temporomandibular disorder. Persistent symptoms should be evaluated rather than automatically attributed to bruxism.
Should a night guard go on the upper or lower teeth?
Either may be appropriate. The choice depends on the teeth, existing restorations, bite, retention, available space and appliance design.
Is a custom night guard better than a store-bought guard?
A custom appliance is fabricated from records of your own teeth and can be evaluated and adjusted for fit and bite. Over-the-counter guards do not offer the same individualized design or professional adjustment.
How long does a custom night guard last?
There is no fixed lifespan. Wear depends greatly on the material, appliance design and the amount of grinding or clenching. We monitor the guard and recommend replacement when it becomes excessively worn, damaged or no longer fits appropriately.
Can I wear a night guard if I have crowns or implants?
Often, yes. Patients with significant restorative work may actually have a particular reason to protect those restorations from grinding forces. The appliance needs to be designed around the existing dental work and checked for appropriate contacts.
Can a night guard change my bite?
A conventional protective appliance should not be intended to permanently change the bite. If your teeth feel persistently different after removing the appliance or the guard causes increasing discomfort, stop using it and have it assessed.
Does a night guard treat sleep apnea?
No. A conventional bruxism night guard is not an obstructive sleep apnea treatment. Patients with symptoms suggestive of a sleep-related breathing disorder should discuss appropriate assessment with a healthcare professional.
How do I clean my night guard?
Cleaning instructions depend somewhat on the appliance material. In general, rinse it after use, clean it according to the instructions provided, allow it to dry and store it in its protective case. Avoid exposing the appliance to excessive heat unless specifically instructed otherwise.
