So, apparently I grind my teeth at night. My dentist wants me to come in tomorrow and have an impression taken so I can get fitted for a night guard. My out of pocket cost: $100.
Now, color me stupid, but wouldn’t a $5 sports mouthpiece do the job just as well?
No. The night guard will be molded to fit your teeth perfectly so you won’t have something moving around in your mouth all night. A sports mouth guard would be big and bulky and frankly you would spit it out. A night guard can barely be felt and won’t block your breathing.
additionally, the 5$ mouthpiece could tear up your gums, since it wouldn’t fit perfectly. the dentist’s device will, a fact to which your gums will attest.
Calliope’s right…I once bought a sports mouth guard for the very same reason: price. It was horribly uncomfortable 
And I can’t believe your out-of-pocket is only $100, toadspittle! My insurance didn’t cover mine, and I had to pay $400…:rolleyes:
But truth to tell, I’m glad I did, or else I’d be spitting teeth fragments!
You can buy sports mouth gaurds that form fit. I used one myself for hockey in ages past. Basically you just pop a generic mouth gaurd in hot water take it out and bite onto it for 10 mins. It’s malleable when hot and cools off retaining shape.
Seems like 100 bucks is a ripoff to me.
I had to fork over $350 to my dentist; the thing worked okay, I guess; I was probably grinding my teeth. But I haven’t used it for a couple of years now, and I don’t seem to be grinding teeth. So I don’t know, I guess I just stopped. I am wondering if the $350 rig was what helped out, but no way to know. ??
I was issued a night guard by a military dentist who had no financial incentive, so I seriously doubt it’s hooey.
I’ve been using a sports guard every night now for several years and have never had any problems spitting it out. I’ll admit it felt “odd” for the first week after I started using one originally but I got used to it quickly. I’ve never had any problems with it rubbing in the wrong places either. Form fitting ones (you boil them and then bite into it then chill it) can be trimmed to take extra material off if necessary.
But if you’re grinding your teeth that baly, how long will it be before you have to replace the sports guard? You might end up spending $100 on sports guards before you would have had to replace the one your dentist makes. Also, the one your dentist makes will place your jaw in the correct position, which might not be the position you end up “making” while creating the sports guard’s fit.
Another tooth grinder here.
Got fitted for a night guard and I HATE IT!
baly = badly. Sorry, I was typing with my retainer in 
You could try ‘The Doctor’s Night Guard’ first. It seems cheap enough and claims to be able to be custom fit. I’ve seen them in the drug store so you don’t necessarily have to order online.
Mine cost $400 too. And don’t stop using it - I now have to have a crown made in a couple weeks because I slacked off
Bryan:“I was issued a night guard by a military dentist who had no financial incentive, so I seriously doubt it’s hooey”
No one said using a night gaurd was hooey, just the 100-400 dollar price tag. Those who had the dentist “professionally” make you a mouth gaurd, what procedure did they use? What did the final product look like?
As funneefarmer and I have both mentioned you can get very comfortable form fitting sports gaurds for under a twentieth the cost. Any product that goes through the medical-retail route gets it’s price jacked outrageously.
Bryan:“I was issued a night guard by a military dentist who had no financial incentive, so I seriously doubt it’s hooey”
No one said using a night gaurd was hooey, just the 100-400 dollar price tag. Those who had the dentist “professionally” make you a mouth gaurd, what procedure did they use? What did the final product look like?
As funneefarmer and I have both mentioned you can get very comfortable form fitting sport gaurds for under a twentieth the cost. Any product that goes through the medical-retail route gets it’s price jacked outrageously.
One more tooh grinder checking in.
I have been using mine for about ten years now.
It has become such a part of my routine that I notice if it is forgotten.
Like Drewbert said, don’t stop using it.
I can’t vouch one way or another for the eficacy of the store bought mouth guards.
They may be just as functional, yet again, they may not be.
I, too, am surprised by the low cost.
Even with my insurance coverage mine cost almost $300.
I went through similar…ended up that I was grinding worse than before (the headaches I had upon wakening were more than horrendous), started wearing the guard again, only to bite through the damn thing. I got it replaced, and my oral surgeon only charged me $200, for which I was humbly thankful.
It isn’t just tooth grinding, it’s jaw clenching as well. Before I got the night guard, it got so bad that one morning I woke up with my jaw out of line on one side. Had to eat through a straw for a couple days!
They took a cast, made it into a mold and made a replica of my upper palate. Then they used that to make the thing. It’s a hard, clear plastic that snaps tight over the upper teeth. Another good reason to keep wearing it: if you don’t, it’ll stop fitting right in a very short time.
I thought it was worth $350.