Custom dental guards are dental appliances that help reduce symptoms of teeth-grinding by preventing direct contact between the upper and lower teeth and by guiding the chewing muscles and the TMJ into an aligned and relaxed position.
So if you are struggling with teeth-grinding symptoms such as headaches, neck, back, and shoulder pain, tooth pain, or worn or fractured teeth, especially at night, a nighttime mouthguard could be the solution.
There are 3 types of dental guards:
- Custom-made dental guards from a dentist.
- Over-the-counter dental guards.
- Custom dental guards from dental labs.
The best option is undoubtedly a custom-made guard from a dentist, but if you have already gone to a dental clinic you might be aware of how expensive these can be.
A custom dental guard from a dentist costs from 200$ to 1.000$, prices might vary depending on your personal needs and preferences. But these high prices are usually out of the budget for most people, leaving them frustrated and without the possibility of treating teeth grinding. Read more about occlusal splints made by the dentist here.
A cheaper option would be over-the-counter dental guards, whose prices go from 5$ to 50$, depending on some features like being one-size-fits-all mouthguards (standard) or boil-and-bite mouthguards (slightly customizable).
You can buy OTC dental guards at drugstores, supermarkets, or even Amazon, but they might not be the best fit for you since they are not specifically made for your dental anatomy, besides being made of cheaper materials which means they won’t last too long.
Finally, the best alternative would be custom dental guards directly from a dental lab, this is the most budget-friendly option and also a highly efficient one when it comes to protecting your teeth from bruxism’s consequences.
This is basically the same kind of dental guard you could get from your dentist, except you get it straight from the dental lab instead of needing a dentist as the middleman.
Custom dental guards cost around 50$ and 250$, depending on the brand you choose, the materials, and the shipping services.
Once you buy a custom dental guard, a dental lab will send you an impression kit (the ones dentists use to take an impression of your bite), this kit will give you clear instructions on how to take a dental impression by yourself.
After you take your impression, you should send it back to the dental lab and they will use it to manufacture a personalized high-quality dental guard based on your dental anatomy that they will send directly to you.
This guarantees that the custom dental guard will fit perfectly in your mouth and will serve its purpose of keeping your teeth safe from grinding.
You can find plenty of dental labs currently using this system, so here is a list of our personal choices of what we consider the 6 best custom dental guards in 2023:
- EnCore Professional Custom Dental Night Mouth Guards for Teeth Grinding.
- Chomper Labs, Custom Night Guards.
- JS Dental Lab Custom Night Guard For Teeth Grinding.
- Smile Brilliant, Custom Teeth Grinding Night Guard.
- Remi, Custom teeth-grinding mouth guard.
- Cheeky, The Affordable Custom Night Guard Service.
1. Encore Night guards
EnCore provides the best overall mouthguards out there, by being a dentists’ supplier for two decades, the company has a hard-to-ignore experience in manufacturing high-quality dental appliances.
The company operates through a high level of organization that provides an exceptional buyer experience, customer service, quality controls, free shipping service, and satisfactory results.
Among the advantages of choosing enCore, we should highlight the following:
- They use high-quality FDA-approved materials.
- Their materials are PBA-Free and Latex-Free.
- You can choose from 3 different options: Hard, hybrid, and soft dental guards.
- They offer customizable thicknesses, colors, and materials.
- Their manufacturing process guarantees durability and comfort.
- You can buy bundles of dental guards, which will help you save money.
The cost of enCore mouth guards goes from 119$ to 150$. You can buy their products directly through their official website encoreguards.com
2. Chomper Labs night guard
Chomper Labs is a California-based dental lab that has gained relevance in recent years due to its high-quality affordable nightguards. They claim their purpose is “to provide high-quality custom-made dental products at revolutionary prices”.
Although it is a relatively new company, Chomper Labs already owns a considerable amount of happy customers who support and give credibility to the company.
Among the pros of choosing Chomper Labs night guards, we have:
- They import their materials directly from Germany since they meet the highest quality standards.
- Their materials are FDA-approved and CE-certified in Europe.
- Their materials are PBA, Latex, Phthalate, and gluten-free.
- They provide a variety of options for you to choose the most appropriate dental guard: The soft, the hybrid, the hard, the retainer, and the daytime ultra-thin.
- Perfect fit promise: If the custom dental guard doesn’t fit perfectly on your teeth, you can ask them to adjust it or even make a new one that actually works perfectly without paying any extra cost.
- Grind-Free Guaranty: If your night guard deteriorates due to the grinding of your teeth in the first 6 months of usage, Chomper Labs will make a new one for you free of charge.
The price of a Chomper Labs dental guard goes from 149$ to 169$. You can check all their products on their official website chomperlabs.com
3. JS dental lab night guard
JS Dental Labs was originally a small family business that outgrew the founder’s expectations thanks to the implementation of online stores.
JS Dental Labs owns a valuable 10 years of experience in the manufacturing of dental night guards, the company’s growth occurred organically thanks to the reliability it provides to its customers.
By creating high-quality custom dental guards and implementing dentists-like processes, while keeping affordable prices, JD Dental Labs night guards have become some of the most liked products by the public.
Some of the reasons to choose a JS Dental LAb mouth guard are:
- Durability: JS dental guards last between 1 and 5 years (just like the ones the dentist makes).
- The company provides adjustments or even full replacements until your night guard fits perfectly, is you are not satisfied, you can still ask for a total refund.
- JS’s thin design makes their night guards pretty comfortable to wear, especially while you sleep.
- You can choose from 4 different options: Durable, extra durable, hybrid, and daytime (ultra-thin).
- Their materials are from the USA and Germany and are PBA, latex, and phthalate-free.
The price of JS Dental Labs night guards goes from 125$ to 185$. You can buy their mouthguards directly from their website: jsdentallab.com
4. Smile brilliant night guard
Smile Brilliant Started operating more than 30 years ago and it was originally a local manufacturer of dental trays for professional teeth whitening that supplied dental appliances to local dentists.
After realizing they could provide more affordable products to their customers by eliminating the middleman, they started by giving their customers the possibility of taking their own dental impressions at home.
Then, they expanded their business by incorporating the manufacture of custom dental guards for teeth grinding, plaque highlighters, and even water flossers.
Nowadays Smile Brilliant is a solid company with a fairly flawless reputation, they were selected by the Sleep Foundation as the #1 custom dental guards of 2021.
Among the advantages of choosing Smile Brilliant night guards, we have:
- Durability: Smile Brilliant night guards are made of high-quality materials that guarantee they will last as long as a dentist-made dental guard.
- Customization and comfort: the company offers a variety of dental guards to adapt to your particular needs and provide the maximum comfort.
- Affordability: The dental guards are considerably affordable compared to dentist-made dental guards.
- Just like the brands previously mentioned, you will get an impression kit with enough material to take an extra impression if you don’t get it on the first try, but Smile Brilliant also gives you the option of sending them a picture of your impression so they can tell you if it is properly done or if you need to take a new one.
The price of a Smile Brilliant night guard goes from 129$ to 179$, you can acquire their products directly from their website: smilebrilliant.com
5. Remi night guard
Remi is a new company founded in 2019 and based in San Francisco, CA. It has grown in popularity pretty fast, becoming one of the favorites among customers mainly due to the way it simplifies the process of getting a custom dental guard.
Although being a new company, Remi stands out for its quality products a durable materials, plus being a 100% American business.
Among the benefits of choosing Remi night guards, we have:
- All materials are from the USA and PBA-free.
- You can choose the thickness of your night guard.
- Remi custom night guards are HSA/FSA eligible, FSA/HSA accounts can be used to pay for some specific medical and dental expenses.
- Remi has a subscription plan called Remi Club where you will get plenty of extra benefits like more affordable prices and mouthguard replacements every 6 months, they will also save your dental impression so you won’t have to take a new one in the future.
Remi dental night guards price goes from 139$ to 199$, you can buy their products directly from the company’s website: shopremi.com
6. Cheeky mouth guard
Cheeky dental guards hold a reputation for being quite comfortable and inexpensive, although being a relatively new company, it has made its way to the top as one of the most reliable products for teeth grinding.
The affordable price of cheeky mouthguards and its 30-days-money-back guarantee make it the ideal product to try out if you are getting a custom night guard for the first time.
Some benefits of choosing Cheeky mouth guards are:
- Comfort: The material is quite comfortable and easy to adapt to, even when you choose the hard dental guard.
- Price: It provides affordable prices, and it also offers a subscription service that will cut the price as low as 39$ per night guard, which is pretty affordable.
- Cheeky offers one of the fastest services available, reducing waiting time by almost 7 business days.
- Cheeky night guards are HSA/FSA eligible.
- Cheeky uses 3D scanners to digitalize your dental impression and provide a highly accurate dental guard.
- Dental guards are highly customizable, you can choose the thickness, the material, and select between the upper or lower teeth for your personalized mouth guard.
A cheeky mouthguard costs around 103$, but you can reduce the price to 39$ by joining the subscription plan. You can check their products directly on their website: getcheeky.com/