While night guards are more commonly used by adults, they can be worn by anyone who needs one. Although some variety does exist, there are three basic styles of night guards. They include night guards that are professionally made by a dentist, stock or preformed versions that are sold in stores, and boil-and-bite mouth guards that can also be purchased in stores. Before you make your decision as to which style is best for your needs, you should take a look at the differences between night guards made by dentists and ones that are commonly sold in stores.
Night Guards Made by a Dentist: Customization
Night guards that are made by your dentist are customized to fit the teeth in your mouth, and therefore, they will not fit anyone else’s mouth. Your dentist takes an impression of your teeth that is used to create a customized mouth guard that fits perfectly over your teeth. Since night guards made by a dentist are designed to fit your teeth, they offer greater comfort and a better fit than their counterparts. Store-bought night guards are already fashioned with a unisex/one-type-fits all design. While they might fit some individuals well, they are not going to deliver a comfortable fit to everyone.
Night Guards Made by a Dentist: Durability
Due to a higher quality of material used in their fabrication, night guards made by a dentist last longer than pre-made ones. They are stronger, and so, they also offer your teeth greater protection against nighttime grinding. On the other hand, boil-and-bite mouth guards are made from a cheaper type of plastic, and so, they are quite inexpensive when compared to night guards made by a dentist. Night guards made by a dentist can last several years, whereas boil-and-bite and stock night-guards typically last less than a full year.
Night Guards Made by a Dentist: Pricing
Due to the additional amount of work involved to create night guards made by a dentist, the price to purchase one is considerably higher than what you would pay for a pre-made one. In fact, most professionally made night guards are ten times more expensive than pre-made versions.
