For some sleeping with night guards to stop teeth grinding is an unpleasant and sometimes painful experience.
Over the counter night guards are inexpensive and you can form them to your mouth by boiling hot water. I have used a few of these guards and they did not hurt when I formed them correctly. The first time I did not melt the plastic enough and this caused the painful gum problem I was having. Make sure you remelt the plastic and try again if this happens to you.
The next problem I have was spitting out the guard at night. Over time I would wake up without the guard in my mouth and it was somewhere in my bed. I ended up buying a professional night guard which was made by a dentist due to this. The guard cost me $450 which seems outrageous to me. It was little better than the cheap CVS night guard, but it was locked in my mouth. I no longer spit it out.
The next problem which I often hear about is that some guards cause people to gag. I have not had that problem, but someone emailed me with a solution of cutting the ends off of the guard so it did not go down your throat. The guard just needs to stop at the end where your molars are.
I tried a night guard for the first time last night and I still woke up with jaw pain. I clench so tight in my sleep I injure my jaw regularly. I even find myself grinding throughout the day. It is impossible for me to stop. Fortunately, I must have some strong teeth because they aren’t ground down, but I have put hairline cracks in them from the tight clenching. Nothing helps with the pain and I have ruined my molars. I wish I had dental insurance or a good amount of money to get implants and remove my molars because although the cracks are very very tiny, they cause major sensitivity and micro food particles create cavities and infection. Bruxism is the worst. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. Sorry about the long ramble, but I am embarrassed to talk about this with friends and need to vent.
I feel your pain I too grind my teeth and i wear a night guard but even with insurance i can’t afford a $300 plus custom guard. I even tried to get a referral to an Oral surgeon but they want $300 up front when you walk into the office then it would cost me half of whatever the office visit would be….i decided to just wait and get a new custom guard for my teeth and pay the $300. I am always in pain in my jaw from grinding and i dont know why i even grind my teeth. So you are not alone…hang in there.
Try wearing the night guard around the clock for two to three weeks, only removing to eat and clean it. This will retrain your mouth to relax and stop clenching. Good luck!!