The latest night guards made for me are all unusable

[lipwak]

Hi,

I have been wearing a night guard for almost 20 years. It has gotten smaller over the years so I wanted to get a new one. So far, I have had 4 made for me. Each one has been unwearable and caused pain. Why can't the dentist make one that works as well as the one I have now?

The latest one, received yesterday, pulls back on a few of front teeth and it became too painful to wear. I have scheduled an appointment to see if my dentist can adjust it. He didn't want to adjust any of the two previous night guards I'd gotten over the past few years.

The previous two were made by another dentist. One was hard, one soft. (My latest is hard, like my 20 year old one.) Each had issues that caused pain.

Why can't these dentists make one that feels comfortable? Is it bad technique in making the mold? Is it the manufacturer? (At least two in this case.)

I have attached a pic of my old nightguard (in a dish of water where I store it in the daytime.) I can upload pics of my others if you like. I've been told by my current dentist that is has been cut so that it doesn't have high edges. I think the dentist that made it also adjusted it at some point by filing a few points inside it so that whatever teeth felt tight were more comfortable.

Thanks for any help.

Cheers,

John L
62 years old

PS My current dentist told me my teeth aren't moving. That the jaw is perhaps the strongest bone in the body so my night guards aren't moving my teeth. Is that true? (Over the years some teeth are more uncomfortable than others. Right now, a cuspid or bicuspid feels like it is being forced up by the night guard but it isn't bad.)

 

[drm]

It isn't entirely unusual that a nightguard(especially a hard one) would need to be adjusted a time or two to make it comfortable. Definitely give your dentist a chance to make those adjustments before giving up on a new nightguard.

If you were to wear one that was uncomfortable, you would likely adjust to it within a week or two. If it moved your teeth in any way, it probably wouldn't be noticeable at all.

There is always some amount of error when molds are made of your teeth. It is a function of the materials being used. We can minimize that error and most of the time it doesn't make a difference. Some people notice slight pressure on their teeth more than others and this can make it more challenging for adjustments. You may be one of those people. The better you can tell your dentist where you are feeling the pressure, the better he or she will be able to adjust it.

 

[lipwak]

Good. It's nice to know there's hope. Now to see if my current dentist will be able to make the latest one work.

Thanks!