Night Guard Help
Most people wear night guards on their upper teeth as they're easier to keep secure and more comfortable during sleep. Upper guards stay in place better and feel less intrusive to your tongue. However, some people prefer lower guards, either position protects both arches equally. Choose whichever feels more comfortable and stays secure through the night. Our 3mm soft EVA guards work well on either arch.
No, you should not wear guards on both upper and lower teeth simultaneously. Wearing two guards at once prevents your teeth from having any contact point, which can confuse your jaw's natural resting position and potentially worsen TMJ issues. It also restricts mouth space and may affect breathing during sleep. One 3mm night guard on either your top or bottom teeth provides complete protection for all your teeth.
Day guards are thinner (2mm) for discreet daytime wear and allow normal speech while protecting against stress-related clenching. Night guards are thicker (3mm) to absorb heavier grinding forces during sleep when you're unconscious and grinding harder. Both use soft EVA material, but the thickness difference makes each optimal for its intended use time.
Most people experience an adjustment period of 3-7 nights where the guard feels strange or bulky. You may salivate more initially or feel awkward sensations. This typically settles within 1-2 weeks. Our 2mm day guards are designed to allow speech easily. The 3mm night guards are bulkier but comfort during sleep is rarely an issue. A well-fitted guard shouldn't impact breathing. If discomfort persists beyond 2 weeks, contact us—your guard may need adjustment.
You can, but it's not ideal. Night guards (3mm) are too thick for comfortable daytime speaking and will be visible. Day guards (2mm) don't provide enough cushioning for heavy nighttime grinding. If you grind both day and night, consider getting both types, each is optimised for its specific purpose. Using the wrong guard at the wrong time reduces effectiveness and can shorten its lifespan.
Guards don't cure the underlying cause of grinding (stress, sleep issues, jaw misalignment), but they protect your teeth from damage and reduce symptoms like pain, tooth wear, and jaw tension. Think of them like a seatbelt, they protect you but don't prevent the situation. For lasting results, you may also need stress management, jaw exercises, or treatment of underlying medical conditions. Guards are essential protection while addressing root causes.
Digital Scans & Own Moulds Accepted
Production timelines, broken down by submission method.
⎯
At-home Impressions
Order before 3pm today and your kit will be with you Next Working Day. Send it back and production takes one day. Your night guards ship the very next day and are with you the day after.
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⎯
Sending Digital Files
Send us your scans before 11:00am, and your night guards are made and shipped the same day. They’ll be with you the next working day.
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⎯
Sending Physical Models
We’ll email you a QR code to drop your models at any DPD ParcelShop at no cost. As soon as they arrive with us, it’s just one day in the lab, then straight out for shipping to arrive with you the next working day.
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1 Day Turnaround
14-day Fit Guarantee
Grinding Protection
Clenching Relief
Faster & Cheaper Than Your Dentist
Clinical-grade retainers made with UK and German medical materials by GDC technicians. Same quality your dentist orders. Wait days instead of weeks. Half the price, zero compromise on fit or durability.
Who Are These Night Guards For?
Our custom 3.0mm soft night guards are designed for anyone suffering from teeth grinding (bruxism), jaw clenching, TMJ pain, or morning headaches. Whether you've been grinding for years or just started experiencing symptoms, a properly fitted night guard protects your teeth and relieves jaw tension.
✓ Chronic Teeth Grinders (Bruxism Sufferers)
Wake up with jaw pain, worn-down teeth, or headaches? You're likely grinding your teeth at night, a condition called bruxism that affects 8-31% of adults. Nocturnal teeth grinding occurs unconsciously during sleep, applying up to 250 pounds of force per square inch on your teeth. Over time, this wears down enamel, cracks teeth, causes gum recession, and leads to costly dental repairs.
Our 3.0mm soft EVA night guards create a protective barrier between your upper and lower teeth. The medical-grade material absorbs grinding forces, preventing tooth wear while remaining comfortable enough for all-night wear. Unlike hard acrylic guards that can feel bulky and trigger more clenching, soft guards cushion your bite naturally.
Signs you're a chronic grinder:
- Flattened, chipped, or worn tooth surfaces
- Exposed dentin (yellowing teeth)
- Jaw soreness upon waking
- Partner complains of grinding sounds at night
- Frequent tension headaches
- Tooth sensitivity to temperature
✓ TMJ & Jaw Pain Sufferers
Experiencing clicking, popping, or pain in your jaw joint? Temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ/TMD) causes jaw pain, facial discomfort, and restricted jaw movement. While night guards don't cure TMJ, they significantly reduce symptoms by:
- Preventing teeth clenching that stresses the jaw joint
- Reducing muscle tension in jaw, neck, and shoulders
- Allowing jaw muscles to relax during sleep
- Creating slight jaw separation that relieves joint pressure
Our soft 3.0mm EVA material is specifically recommended for TMJ patients because it cushions the jaw joint without triggering defensive clenching responses. Many TMJ specialists prefer soft guards over hard ones for this reason.
TMJ symptoms our guards help with:
- Jaw joint pain and tenderness
- Difficulty opening mouth wide
- Clicking or popping sounds when chewing
- Face, neck, and shoulder muscle tension
- Earaches without infection
- Locking jaw (temporary)
✓ Morning Headache & Migraine Sufferers
Waking up with headaches or migraines? Nighttime teeth grinding and jaw clenching are common causes of tension headaches and can trigger migraines. The sustained muscle contraction in your jaw radiates tension to your temples, forehead, and neck, causing morning pain that can last hours.
Studies show that up to 82% of chronic headache sufferers who grind their teeth experience significant headache reduction when using night guards. By preventing grinding and relaxing jaw muscles during sleep, our soft guards help eliminate grinding-related headaches.
Headache patterns linked to grinding:
- Pain upon waking that improves through the day
- Temple and forehead tension
- Dull, aching head pain (not sharp)
- Neck stiffness and shoulder tension
- Pressure behind eyes
- Headaches that don't respond to typical pain relievers
✓ Replacing Worn or Lost Night Guards
Lost your night guard or worn through your current one? Night guards don't last forever, soft guards typically need replacement every 1-3 years depending on grinding severity. Heavy grinders may need annual replacements.
Signs your night guard needs replacing:
- Visible holes or tears in the material
- Thinning areas (less than 2mm thick)
- No longer fits securely (worn impression)
- Discoloured despite regular cleaning
- Hardened material (should remain soft/flexible)
- Unpleasant odour that won't wash away
Don't go without protection waiting for dentist appointments. Get replacement night guards made quickly using your existing dental scans or our free impression kit. Every night without a guard means more enamel wear and jaw strain.
✓ Athletes & Stress-Related Grinders
High-stress jobs, athletic training, and performance anxiety often trigger teeth grinding and jaw clenching, even in people with no previous bruxism history. If you've noticed grinding during stressful periods, proactive protection prevents permanent damage.
High-risk groups for stress grinding:
- Students during exam periods
- Athletes (especially strength training, contact sports)
- High-pressure professionals (executives, traders, surgeons)
- Shift workers with disrupted sleep patterns
- People experiencing major life changes
- Competitive performers (musicians, public speakers)
Our soft night guards are ideal for stress-related grinding because they accommodate fluctuating symptoms. Wear them during high-stress periods, and they'll be there when you need protection most
✓ Preventing Expensive Dental Damage
Already spent thousands on crowns, veneers, fillings, or cosmetic dentistry? Protect your investment. Grinding destroys expensive dental work faster than natural teeth, porcelain crowns crack, composite bonding chips, and veneers fracture under grinding forces.
Dental work at risk from grinding:
- Porcelain crowns and bridges (crack under pressure)
- Composite fillings (wear down or fall out)
- Dental veneers (chip at edges, debond)
- Bonding and edge repairs (break off)
- Dental implants (excessive force on surrounding bone)
- Orthodontic results (teeth can shift from grinding pressure)
A £69.95 night guard protects thousands in dental work. Many dentists recommend night guards before performing expensive procedures on known grinders.
✓ Light to Moderate Grinders (Starting Symptoms)
Just starting to notice grinding symptoms? Catching it early prevents serious damage. Many people dismiss early signs—slight jaw soreness, minor tooth sensitivity, or occasional headaches—until significant enamel wear has occurred.
Early warning signs:
- Partner mentions occasional grinding sounds
- Mild jaw tightness in the morning
- Slight tooth sensitivity to cold
- Feeling like you clench during stressful moments
- Waking with tongue or cheek indentations
- Subtle tooth wear your dentist mentions
Starting with a soft 3.0mm guard is ideal for light to moderate grinders. It's comfortable enough for first-time guard users while providing substantial protection. Many people who "can't wear hard guards" find soft guards perfectly tolerable.
✓ Dentist-Prescribed Night Guards (But Cheaper)
Your dentist prescribed a night guard but quoted £300-£600? You can get the same quality guard for half the price by ordering direct from our GDC-registered laboratory. We accept referrals from dental professionals and work with the same digital workflows they use.
Why dentist prices are so high:
- Lab fees: £80-150
- Dentist markup: 200-300%
- Multiple appointments: consultation, impression, fitting, adjustments
- Office overhead costs built into pricing
Our direct-from-lab pricing:
- Lab fees: £69.95 (no middleman)
- Zero markup
- One appointment (at home with impression kit)
- Same GDC-registered technicians
- Identical medical-grade materials
Upload STL files from your dentist's intraoral scanner or send physical models. Many dentists and orthodontists now recommend our service to their cost-conscious patients.
✓ Combination Grinding & Clenching
Do you both grind (sliding teeth back and forth) and clench (sustained biting pressure)? Many people do both, requiring a guard that handles mixed forces. Our 3.0mm soft EVA material excels at both:
For grinding: The soft material absorbs sliding friction without wearing through quickly. It's thick enough to prevent tooth contact but soft enough to allow slight movement without feeling rigid.
For clenching: The cushioning effect reduces jaw muscle fatigue. Unlike hard guards that provide a "target" to clench against (potentially increasing clenching force), soft guards encourage muscle relaxation.
Combination symptoms:
- Evidence of both tooth wear (grinding) and jaw muscle hypertrophy (clenching)
- Morning jaw fatigue AND tooth sensitivity
- Headaches combined with facial muscle soreness
- Difficulty knowing if you grind or clench (probably both)
✓ People Who "Can't Wear" Hard Night Guards
Tried a hard acrylic night guard and couldn't tolerate it? You're not alone. Many people find hard guards uncomfortable, triggering gag reflexes, or actually increasing clenching because the hard surface feels unnatural.
Common complaints about hard guards:
- Triggers gag reflex (too bulky)
- Causes more clenching (jaw fights against hard surface)
- Uncomfortable pressure on teeth
- Creates excess saliva production
- Can't fall asleep with it in
- Jaw soreness from fighting the guard
Our soft 3.0mm guards solve these problems. The EVA material feels similar to your teeth's natural surface, reducing the foreign-object sensation. It's substantial enough to protect but soft enough to feel comfortable. Most people who "can't wear guards" successfully wear soft ones.
✓ Wisdom Teeth Pressure & Age-Related Grinding
Started grinding as an adult after years of no issues? Wisdom teeth eruption (even partial) creates pressure that triggers grinding. Age-related jaw changes, bone density shifts, and bite changes can also initiate new grinding patterns.
Adult-onset grinding causes:
- Wisdom teeth pushing against molars
- Age-related bone remodeling
- Bite changes from tooth wear
- Jaw joint wear (osteoarthritis)
- Stress accumulation over years
- Sleep quality decline with age
Even if you've never ground your teeth before, starting after age 30 is common. Protect your teeth now before wear accelerates.
✓ Sleep Apnea Patients (Mild Cases or Supplementary Use)
Experience both sleep apnea and grinding? While night guards aren't apnea treatments, many sleep apnea patients also grind their teeth. If you use a CPAP for apnea, you can still wear a night guard to protect against grinding.
Important note: Night guards don't treat sleep apnea and can worsen severe apnea in some cases. Consult your sleep specialist if you have diagnosed moderate-severe apnea. However, for mild cases or diagnosed grinders with apnea, guards can be used supplementary.
Some patients alternate, CPAP on severe apnea nights, night guard on lighter nights when grinding is the primary concern. Others use custom guards designed to work with CPAP masks.
✓ International Patients & Expats
Living in the UK but had dental work abroad? Or are you a UK resident who needs a night guard but don't have a local dentist? We can work with your existing records regardless of where you received dental care.
Send us your STL files, 3D printed models from any dental provider worldwide, or use our free impression kit. No need to establish with a UK dentist just for a night guard.
Perfect for:
- Recent UK arrivals needing continuing care
- Digital nomads living in UK temporarily
- People between dentists
- Those avoiding expensive UK dental registration
- Anyone with existing scans/models from abroad
How to Order Your
Night Guard
Get your custom-fitted night guard in just 4 simple steps. Fast, easy, and completely hassle-free.
1
Choose Your Option
Select the guard that fits your needs. Most people need an upper guard only for maximum comfort and protection.
2
Select Impression Method
Pick your preferred method based on what you have available. All methods produce perfectly fitted guards.
3
We Create Your Guard
Our GDC-registered technicians handcraft your custom night guard in our UK laboratory with medical-grade materials.
4
Rapid Delivery
Receive your custom night guard via express delivery or collect same-day at our centre. Start protecting your teeth immediately.
Ready to Stop Grinding?
Get your custom night guard made by GDC technicians in just 1 day. No dentist appointments. No waiting weeks.
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Includes Express 1 Day Production
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GDC Registered
UK based dental technicians registered with the GDC
MHRA Compliant
Our lab products are registered and comply with the MHRA
Made for Dentists
We have the same type of lab that UK dentists buy from
The UK's Fastest
We pride ourselves on being the fastest on the UK market
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