Night Guards.
"A custom-fitted appliance, worn at night, that protects the teeth from grinding and clenching."
A night guard is a thin, custom-fitted appliance worn over the teeth at night. It sits as a protective barrier between the upper and lower teeth, so the force of grinding or clenching is absorbed by the guard rather than the enamel.
"A protective barrier between the teeth, fitted to your bite."
Night Guards
A night guard is a thin, custom-fitted appliance, made from durable dental acrylic, that you wear over your teeth at night. It sits between the upper and lower teeth and acts as a barrier, so the force from grinding or clenching is absorbed by the guard rather than the enamel.
Grinding and clenching can happen at night without anyone realising it, often for years before symptoms appear. A worn front edge, a cracked filling, jaw tightness in the morning, or a partner mentioning the noise are the usual ways patients discover it. A guard protects the teeth from the daily mechanical force.
Most patients who grind or clench at night benefit from a custom night guard.
If you grind or clench your teeth at night, a custom night guard protects the enamel from wear and any fillings or restorations from cracking. Many patients don't realise they grind until a dentist points out the wear, or until they wake with jaw tightness or a headache that fades through the day.
- Patients with confirmed or suspected grinding or clenching at night.
- Patients waking with jaw tightness, morning headaches, or worn front edges of teeth.
- Patients with existing crowns, veneers, fillings, or bridges they want to protect.
- Patients who've had broken or chipped teeth from clenching pressure.
- Active gum disease, where we treat the cause first.
- A misaligned bite, where alternative treatments such as orthodontics may be a better fit.
- Significant TMJ pain, where a specialist assessment may be needed before fitting a guard.
- Extensive missing teeth, where the guard design needs to account for this.
- Children and teenagers, whose growing jaws may need a different approach.