These mouthguards work well for people who grind their teeth at night. However, a couple things you need to know. The size large worked for me. I am 5' 10" and 150 pounds, not a large guy. The size small worked for my wife, who is small. The other thing is it takes a bit of practice to get a good fit. You aren't likely to get it right the first time. You might want to buy a pair and figure the first one is just practice. Then, when you have a fit, trim it so it isn't too clunky in your mouth.
I do not have joint problems just teeth grinding so getting the $400 custom fit seemed a bit absurd the other reviewers apparently did not read the directions or the manufacturer has modified the directions to account for their concerns dipping the mold in cold water for one second eliminates the "scalding" problem and using your fingers to mold the product and "sucking" in as directed really helps shape the mold to fit your teeth and the shape of your mouth. I also followed the directions and trimmed the mold before boiling in hot water so it did not go beyond where my teeth are (wisdom teeth gone). It took no time at all for me to get use to the mold No real complaints other than I grind my teeth in the first place and thus need something like this.
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I have been at the dentist almost six months trying to get a night guard, but my experience was not good. So far, they have made three of them without any success. All of themstarted moving all my teeth and the biting started getting spoiled. On top of that, the cost of such night guard was U$ 340. I decided to give this one a try, and even though I had to try it twice, I finally could get the shape I needed. It is true that it is somewhat bulky and that sometimes it takes more than one to get it done well, bu it works MUCH BETTER than the one at the dentist office which is adjusted by the assistant, not the dentist and is also way much cheaper. It makes no sense at all to pay hundreds of dollars for just a piece of plastic that, as in my experience, does not work.
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My first night guard was the really expensive one from the dentist. It mysteriously disappeared one morning and I used a thicker, old-school whitening tray, until I could think of something else, because the one from the dentist just wouldn't stay in, so I didn't want to replace it. I later discovered the Doctor's Nightguard The Doctor's NightGuard Dental Protector for Night Time Teeth Grinding, Medium, 1 each and perfected how to make it fit me the best. They've since redesigned and I don't like the new design as muchDoctors Nightguard Mouth Piece, Small 1 Ea (ends up a bit bulkier feeling and less customizable), but I definitely prefer it to Splintek's.
I tried the Splintek Sleep Right night guard and it is completely flimsy. I knew the moment I took it out of the box that it wouldn't stay in. It was more like a noodle, so I was amazed to go online and read great reviews for it. I knew it wouldn't stay, once I'd go to asleep. The thin part in the front has no rigidity of its own(as it appears to in the photo) and just flops around. There is nothing to prevent this from slipping to the outsides of the teeth, out of place or falling out of one's mouth. It's possible this might be good for someone who needs to prevent clenching when awake, but, like I said, there's no way this would stay in place in my mouth.
A better choice, in my opinion, is the Doctor's Nightguard, which sells for around $25 all over the internet. I've bought it at Walgreen's for $24.99. It comes in 3 different sizes. It took me bit of practice to get it right, but the company will mail you a new one if you mess yours up. I've seen some bad reviews for it--someone was appalled at the idea of sticking a boiling hot piece of rubber/plastic in their mouth and said they couldn't make much of an impression, but I follow the boiling instructions exactly and, surprisingly enough, that one second in cold water(after boiling, per the instructions) makes it more tolerable to me than Latte or a cup of tea(which I can't handle hot).
Some tricks to help in making it...I pull off the blue thing(on the older one) and throw it out, before I start. I just have to be extra careful to not bite using my teeth or I would bite right through while it's warm. I use my fingers to help form and also create suction using my mouth to form the sides. Then, if there's a lot of extra, I trim a bit and reboil for another 30 or 40 seconds, cool for one second by dunking in cold water and put it back in and create suction using my mouth and tongue to really form it to my teeth. This might all sound really strange and complicated, but, in all, the whole process takes me about 15 minutes and I do it about every 6-8 months, when I chew through one.
My husband prefers the somewhat bulky appearance of the night guard to the "horrendous" sound that my grinding makes(I have to believe him because I've never heard myself). Plus, I put it on after the lights are out and I'm ready to drift off--it's like a pacifier. It always stays in place, all night--no more headaches. I would highly recommend the Doctor's Nightguard!
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I needed a whitening tray and decided to go with this model even though its meant for use as a grinding guard. I think it's a little expensive but if you can mold it right the first time (not sure if you can remold a second) it will not disappoint. I like this model because it has a solid bottom that you cannot bite through which is advantageous because I always end up biting through the cheap sports mouth guards.
To properly mold this to your teeth and mouth you boil this in water as per instructions. I boiled a coffee cup of water in the microwave and dropped the NightGuard into the cup keeping it submersed for the entire recommended duration. Then I picked it out with a fork and dunked it...for only a brief moment, maybe one complete second....into a cup of cold water to dissipate the heat...don't worry, this will not harden the plastic. I put it in my mouth and bit down gently and molded it to my teeth by pushing the bottom up against my teeth and pushing the plastic upwards to cover my gums in front and behind my teeth onto my upper pallet. I waited momentarily and then placed the NightGuard into the cup of cold water again to allow it to harden.
If the plastic does not soften then you didn't use boiling water or didn't keep it in the boiling water long enough. Be mindful to keep it submerged for the recommended duration or just a little longer. Too long...i.e., 10 minutes...will cause the plastic to lose its basic shape and make the molding process more difficult; not long enough will not allow the plastic to get soft enough to mold. Submerging in cold water for a second will dissipate the heat and you wont be scalded when you put it in your mouth and it wont reharden the soft plastic either. Don't make the mistake of dunking in cold water for too long...one second will suffice.
In short, BOIL water...submerge for recommended duration... remove...dunk QUICKLY into cold water...remove and place into mouth and mold by biting down all the way against the bottom, then push and smooth out soft plastic over the gums and soft pallet...close mouth and gently suck to finish fitting...remove and put into cold water for hardening.
The instructions are very clear and easy to read. Follow them and you will have a perfect fitting mouth guard or tray for whitening your teeth...incidentally, I use 22% nitewhite ACP...works great...
I went into so much detail because some of the reviews obviously indicate that instructions were not followed...literally.
I was glad for a speedy shipping and excited to get these. It came with a few sample packets, one packet including two more of these pills, so that was nice. Other than that the other two were for boosting metabolism, energy, decreasing appetite and stuff like that; wasnt so pleased about getting those in it, not that it really bothered me I just threw them out. I think for something that is supposed to be all natural and healthy, its not good to artificially bump up energy and decrease appetite. Also those said do not take if have heart problems, pregnant, so I did not feel safe taking them. Used to drink monsters and take nodoz until I realized how bad they are for my body, even if the ingredients were natural I dont want to unnaturally stimulate my body or kill my hunger, so I was less than thrilled about getting those, thanks anyways.
