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My dentist and dental hygienist recommended a custom night guard duriing my regular 6 month appointment this morning. So, I did a search here and came up with this thread.
They both said they wear one every night. The hygienist said that most people who try the OTC route end up being unhappy with them and convinced me to make an appointment for a custom one. There is no doubt I'm hard my teeth. I've cracked several in half which now have crowns. She said even the crowns show wear from grinding now. I can also feel new wear on the backsides of my front teeth.
Getting older is beginning to suck.
Tooth grinding/clenching might have nothing to do with age. You may have been forming the habit for quite a while...the damage is just showing up with advancing years. Some of us have been devoted bruxers most of our adult life. It may or may not be related to stress. If your bite is off you may do it regardless of stress. That's what happened to me.
Anyway, now that you know it's something to address, you do have options for guards. Some cost more than others. Some only wear a guard on one jaw not both. Yes, I wear mine every night. A custom guard that fits correctly isn't uncomfortable IME. I don't think mine have ever bothered me so much I removed it in my sleep as some people report doing. It's not a difficult habit to form. Just add it to your bedtime regime. You're brushing your teeth anyway, right?
My dentist and dental hygienist recommended a custom night guard duriing my regular 6 month appointment this morning. So, I did a search here and came up with this thread.
They both said they wear one every night. The hygienist said that most people who try the OTC route end up being unhappy with them and convinced me to make an appointment for a custom one. There is no doubt I'm hard my teeth. I've cracked several in half which now have crowns. She said even the crowns show wear from grinding now. I can also feel new wear on the backsides of my front teeth.
Getting older is beginning to suck.
I think they are getting less expensive. The last one I got was under $100 with my dental insurance, and still reasonably priced without insurance. This is my third one and each one keeps getting less expensive. Even WITH the night guard I still wake up with headaches on occasion, so I don’t want to imagine what would happen to my teeth without one. As it is, I’ve had a small chip on one tooth for years that I am sure is from clenching.
Dentist recommending custom guard? Of course he/she does.
Let's see, $15 vs several hundred dollars? Should be an easy choice for most.
The custom will feel more natural in your mouth but both do the same thing.
I had a custom, I now use OTC. It doesn't fall out. The package I bought comes with two, one wears out, you start using a new one.
I'm glad it works for you, but everyone is different. In my experience most of my patients stop wearing the OTC night guards because they fit poorly. One size fits most.
In our office, a custom night guard costs $300-500 depending on insurance. I have some patients who brux so badly that they grind through them every year. But you know what? Their teeth are still intact. An implant costs $3000-5000. So, those same patients could get one night guard a year for 10 years and spend the same money it would take to replace one broken tooth.
You imply that dentist recommend custom night guards so they can fatten their wallets. If I really wanted to do that I would just tell them to get a boil n' bite from Walgreens, wait for them to stop wearing it, then pocket a cool $5000 when they break a tooth and need an implant.
You imply that dentist recommend custom night guards so they can fatten their wallets. If I really wanted to do that I would just tell them to get a boil n' bite from Walgreens, wait for them to stop wearing it, then pocket a cool $5000 when they break a tooth and need an implant.
Guess that's an example of what financiers mean by maintaining a long view focus. Some of the more cynical types out there would refer to it as the stalking wolf strategy...steer or herd the prey quietly from the rear until it tires or shows weakness. Then attack!
You imply that dentist recommend custom night guards so they can fatten their wallets. If I really wanted to do that I would just tell them to get a boil n' bite from Walgreens, wait for them to stop wearing it, then pocket a cool $5000 when they break a tooth and need an implant.
You're right, the medical (or dental) establishment would never think of their wallets. People before profits of course. Oh and we know doctors and dentists provide pro-bono all the time..
Sorry, you could also stop wearing the custom guards too. right? and... you won't necessarily break a tooth if you stop wearing the Walmart brand any more than you would with the custom either. Sounds like another "selling" point to me, not a valid one either.
My dentist grandfather and his hygienist taught me how to read x-rays when I was a kid. So, I've seen mine. When my dentist (not my grandfather, he retired in the 1970's and died in the late 1980's) said I had some ground-down teeth due to bruxism, I asked her to show me. She did. I agreed. She had a thick acrylic night guard made for me. That was 7 years ago. I have the same one that she gave me then. It has a couple of minor cracks in the molar area but is otherwise in good condition. She also gave me a mold of my teeth, so that I can save money when I need a new guard made (they always make you pay for the impression and mold). Since most of my upper teeth are implants, crowns, or a crowned bridge in the front, there's very little movement of my upper teeth and I won't need a new mold.
It'll cost me around $250 for a new guard. If it lasts me another 7 years I'll have gotten my money's worth.
You're right, the medical (or dental) establishment would never think of their wallets. People before profits of course. Oh and we know doctors and dentists provide pro-bono all the time..
Sorry, you could also stop wearing the custom guards too. right? and... you won't necessarily break a tooth if you stop wearing the Walmart brand any more than you would with the custom either. Sounds like another "selling" point to me, not a valid one either.
No cynicism here, real life experience.
I have done thousands of dollars worth of pro-bono work over the years. How much pro-bono work do you provide? Serious question.
Dentists are strange beings - we will actively tell you how to put us out of business. Floss more, brush more, reduce sugar intake, wear occlusal guards, etc. We are stupid business people for sure.
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