Yeah, that’s the one I got. Tough to put in, and a little disconcerting when I hear an audible ‘click’ once it pops into place, but it won’t fall out at night. I’ve slept 2 of the last three nights straight through with it in.
I’ve had one for the last 12 years or so. More accurately, I’ve had 3 - I wind up chewing through them. Obviously I really need to wear it!
Mine fits over the bottom teeth. The part that fits against the teeth is, well, not soft but not too hard. Then there’s a harder outer “shell” that the top teeth press against when I grind.
It does help - but there were a lot of years where I didn’t wear it for months at a time because it was hard to get used to. If I had a cold or anything that made breathing difficult, I couldn’t stand the bite guard - even though it didn’t really block my breathing, there was that perception.
Papa Zappa has had one for about as long as I have - but he hasn’t chewed through his yet, not once, so he has the original one.
They did originally try to make one that fit the top teeth. I tried telling the dentist that when I put it in my mouth and bit down on it, it pulled the top teeth back painfully. He didn’t believe me. A month later, and every time I wore it my top front teeth ached all the next day. Yes, the d*mn thing was literally trying to rearrange my mouth. I made him redo it, with a bottom-jaw guard instead.
Anyway - if there is good reason to believe you grind, try to get used to a bite guard - I imagine it may reduce stress and risk of damaging the teeth; I’ve got to have one extracted soon as a result of a long string of attempted repairs to one tooth (filling, crown, root canal, all failed).
A word of caution.
Biteguards only protect the teeth. They do not protect the jaw, especially the TMJ. SWMBO has ground her teeth since she was a teen. She has a mouthpiece, but she also has no joint left on the left side of her jaw. You need to discuss this in great detail with your dentist. Medication may be the answer; SWMBO has to take Elavil to relax her jaw muscles at night.
Standard disclaimer: I ain’t no kind of medical person. Talk to your dentist about this and do it fairly quickly.
Pepper Mill has had this problem. One of her dentists advised her to get one of those mouthgaurds used by high school athletes – the kind you put in hot water then (presumably after it’s cooled enough to be comfortable but still malleable) in your mouth. It molds itself to your teeth wonderfully. And it’s a lot cheaper than $450.
But I agree that you sdhould get a good fit for that kind of money.
I am going to the dentist in an hour, to do major surgery on the damn thing. It sticks out far enough in front (not far, but far enough) that I can’t keep my mouth closed around it without a major effort. Also, it’s bulky enough in the back that I have actually hold my mouth open to wear it, and after an hour or so, my jaw muscles start to cramp.
And my teeth have shifted. My bite is different.
Not a happy camper.
I got totally ripped off when I got mine. I have the mouthguard that’s hard and for my top teeth. $1365. Zero was covered by insurance. I’ve been griding my teeth since I’ve had them, about 35 years.
My jaw and around my mouth was going numb from the stress/clenching/griding I was doing. My regular doctor gave me Xanex. That worked like a charm, but I thought it might be a good idea to find an alternative that wasn’t some terrible drug like Xanex.
I love my mouthguard. It immediately relieved my facial numbness. It seemed to help with my headaches. I’ve had headaches for the past week or so real bad, not sure what to blame it on (teeth grinding or hurricane weather). I’ve had the mouthguard for about 4 months and I’ve worn holes through it on back molars. I don’t think it was worth $1365.
I still take the Xanex because I seem to be just anxious and stressy all the time.
When I was a teenager, I couldn’t keep my retainer in at night and I was sure I’d have problems with keeping this in. For some reason (Ambien?) I can wear this all night.