Posted: 8/20/2011 9:11:48 AM EDT
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I have a habit of clenching my teeth in my sleep. What kind of mouth guard should I get? Should I even get one? Will I accidentally swallow it and die in my sleep?
Just got a temporary crown thursday (that was fun) and I'm a bit worried about popping it off or something in my sleep before the doc can put the permanent one on next week. Yeah, first crown. Only 28. All the way in the back, too, so he accidentally cut the inside of my cheek a little bit. Feels like he mangled my gum up, too, but I guess that was intentional so the crown would go down below the gum line and let the gum grow back over it. Quickest $500 I ever spent. 
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| I recently stressed my jaw muscle and have been sleeping with a nightguard. The custom fit ones from the dentist are $650 so I opted to buy an OTC one. $30 for 2 and I got the least bulky ones I could find that only guard the molars which need it. So it's pretty comfy and I haven't had issues sleeping with it. And this one has no need to boil and fit to your teeth first which is a nice plus. |
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Quoted:
I recently stressed my jaw muscle and have been sleeping with a nightguard. The custom fit ones from the dentist are $650 so I opted to buy an OTC one. $30 for 2 and I got the least bulky ones I could find that only guard the molars which need it. So it's pretty comfy and I haven't had issues sleeping with it. And this one has no need to boil and fit to your teeth first which is a nice plus. What brand did you get? |
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Quoted: I recently stressed my jaw muscle and have been sleeping with a nightguard. The custom fit ones from the dentist are $650 so I opted to buy an OTC one. $30 for 2 and I got the least bulky ones I could find that only guard the molars which need it. So it's pretty comfy and I haven't had issues sleeping with it. And this one has no need to boil and fit to your teeth first which is a nice plus.  I got a custom lower bruxism appliance from my dentist (which was covered by a plan, but I had to pay out of pocket and get reimbursed). It was $250. |
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I recently stressed my jaw muscle and have been sleeping with a nightguard. The custom fit ones from the dentist are $650 so I opted to buy an OTC one. $30 for 2 and I got the least bulky ones I could find that only guard the molars which need it. So it's pretty comfy and I haven't had issues sleeping with it. And this one has no need to boil and fit to your teeth first which is a nice plus. What brand did you get? Oh, sorry.  I had to actually get up to check on that. DenTek Comfort-Fit.
It's basically a thin white piece of plastic that sets in front of your bottom teeth with 2 blue pads on the back that go over your molars. So definitely more comfortable than the other FULL mouth guards look. |
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I recently stressed my jaw muscle and have been sleeping with a nightguard. The custom fit ones from the dentist are $650 so I opted to buy an OTC one. $30 for 2 and I got the least bulky ones I could find that only guard the molars which need it. So it's pretty comfy and I haven't had issues sleeping with it. And this one has no need to boil and fit to your teeth first which is a nice plus. I got a custom lower bruxism appliance from my dentist (which was covered by a plan, but I had to pay out of pocket and get reimbursed). It was $250.
I was also told that insurance rarely covers night guards and if they do pay it's generally a small portion ~100-200 or so. The OTC one seems to be working fine so I still saved $220 over you. 
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OP-did you get a gold crown? Did your dentist talk about a gold versus porcelain crown? It's going to be porcelain. he didn't talk about pros or cons of either and I didn't think to ask. I'm not sure what the temporary is made of. It appears to be a shiny metallic color. Should I have? Onlineallthetime: Thanks man, I'll check it out. 
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OP-did you get a gold crown? Did your dentist talk about a gold versus porcelain crown? It's going to be porcelain. he didn't talk about pros or cons of either and I didn't think to ask. I'm not sure what the temporary is made of. It appears to be a shiny metallic color. Should I have? Onlineallthetime: Thanks man, I'll check it out. Welcome! Hope it works out for you.
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I have one from the dentist, and one OTC one.
The pro one is hard plastic (acrylic I think) and works fine. The OTC one is rubbery....my dentist says they don't work that well because the grippiness triggers the reflex that causes the grinding. Is there a hard plastic OTC nightguard out there? I'd like a spare for travel etc. |
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I have the same problem.
I bought one of those inexpensive anti-snore mouthpieces called Snore-ex. It's basically a mouth guard that you semi custom mold to your mouth by boiling it in water first. It took a couple of nights to get used to sleeping with the guard in place but it seems to work. |
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I have one from the dentist, and one OTC one. The pro one is hard plastic (acrylic I think) and works fine. The OTC one is rubbery....my dentist says they don't work that well because the grippiness triggers the reflex that causes the grinding. Is there a hard plastic OTC nightguard out there? I'd like a spare for travel etc. You may have a point because mine wasn't to fix any real problem other than a flare-up of muscle strain. I've always ground my teeth at night but it's never caused any outward issues so I just ignore it. So for my *mild* problem the OTC works just fine but may not be enough for more serious issues. |
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OP-did you get a gold crown? Did your dentist talk about a gold versus porcelain crown? It's going to be porcelain. he didn't talk about pros or cons of either and I didn't think to ask. I'm not sure what the temporary is made of. It appears to be a shiny metallic color. Should I have? Onlineallthetime: Thanks man, I'll check it out. Usually for someone who grinds their teeth, I would steer them towards a gold crown, especially on a very back molar. A gold crown has no risk of porcelain fracture, and the gold is kinder to the tooth that is biting down on it. Porcelain, over time can get rough, like the bottom of coffee cup and grind down the opposing tooth. I was interested to hear what other dentists did to handle a "grinder". |
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<snip> You may have a point because mine wasn't to fix any real problem other than a flare-up of muscle strain. I've always ground my teeth at night but it's never caused any outward issues so I just ignore it. So for my *mild* problem the OTC works just fine but may not be enough for more serious issues. The issues it has caused me are worn teeth, sore jaws, bad sleep, and also, grooves in the teeth at the gumline (Dentist says that the stress causes fatigue fractures of the enamel there) It's definitely worth doing what you can to minimize the damage....it may be significant down the road. |
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My wife says I grind my teeth so hard that they squeal and wake her up. I go through an OTC night guard in about 1 month. My dentist tells me I have no signs of grinding, and is ambivalent towards my being fitted for a prescription guard.
I wouldn't worry about the temp crown. I've had two and they both came off. They suck. My permanent crowns have been fine. Honestly, I don't see the point unless you're actually causing damage to your teeth. |
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i dated a hygienist for awhile. this stuff is a huge dental racket. go get a youth football or hockey mouthguard. boil it and fit. then trim until it's comfortable enough to sleep with. if you just can't live with it, you're only out a few bucks and then can get the custom jobs. btw, these things also work as whitening trays.
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