night guard question

[LT]

My dentist wants me to have a new type of mouth guard which is soft on the inside and hard on the outside and apparently will fit just over my bottom 4 teeth. I have seen one and it looks just the same as the one I have to be honest. I currently have a soft guard, modified so that the back teeth dont touch easily but i kind of ruined it by putting it in hot water to clean it and it stretched slightly. Initially I was just supposed to be trying this out to see how I got on with it as I was told that he didnt usually provide the soft gurards anymore. I have had it for a year and its comfortable to wear and I find I dont sleep that well without it, which is odd.

I am so worried that if I get the new guard it will make things worse and hurt my top teeth if I clench down on it. And it costs about £160 which is a lot of money to pay if its not going to help.

Has anybody had experience of this type of guard. I dont know what to do and any advice would be appreciated.

 

[Dr. Daniel]

Hey LT

The general guidelines for clunshing/bruxism recommand using a hard night guard for several reasons like: it allows control over the posture of the jaw during the night, it lasts for a long time and is more suitable to the occlusion.
Many dentists begin with a soft night guard and after a while move to the hard one, because it takes time to get used to it.

I personaly believe that the subjective feeling of the patient is the dominant factor in the treatment because the patient knows how his/her TMJ, muscles and teeth are doing. The dentist should guide explain and advise. The theoretical guidlines are a reccomandation, every case is different.
In short, if you come to the conclusion together with your dentist that the soft night guard is doing its work well, it is reassonable to wait several long months and than to re-evaluate.

 

[LT]

Thanks. I was just wondering if anybody knows what one of these guards is like to wear. Is it different from one of those NTI splints.

Sorry, I just worry far too much and I can't decide what to do so if anybody can help I would be grateful.

 

[LT]

Anybody know what I am talking about?

 

[Dr. Daniel]

honestly, I have never worn a night guard,
I can tell you that the soft one is very comfortable, for the hard one takes some time to get used to, but it depends on the design your dentist chooses for the guard.