How to Choose a Night Guard

A custom night guard costs $149 to $189 direct from a dental lab, against $200 to $1,000 for the same appliance at a dentist. Which one you need comes down to how hard you grind: a soft guard for light clenching, a hybrid for moderate to severe grinding, a hard guard if you get through everything else. Below: how to tell which category you are in, what thickness to ask for, and what each option actually costs.

Many adults and children grind their teeth. Sleep Foundation puts it at about 8% of adults and 14% to 17% of children, and it is most common in childhood, adolescence and young adulthood [1]. The condition is called bruxism: habitual or involuntary teeth grinding, usually at night, when you have no conscious control over it. It is not life-threatening, but left alone it leads to chipped teeth, jaw pain and chronic headaches, and it costs you sleep quality. A nightguard is the standard way to protect your teeth from it.

What a Night Guard Actually Does

If you grind, you are probably looking for something that stops it for good. A nightguard does not cure bruxism, but it does the next best thing: it absorbs the force so your teeth stop taking it. It reduces grinding and clenching, and it relieves the jaw pain that comes with them.

The catch is choosing the right one. There are more options than there need to be, and they are not interchangeable. Here is what to work through before you buy.

1. Do You Actually Need a Night Guard?

Start by working out whether you need one at all. A dentist can tell you how far the grinding has gone and which type you have, and that is the surest route. If you would rather narrow it down yourself first, here is what to look at.

Ask yourself whether you have any of the following:

Headaches, particularly on waking
Facial pain
Jaw pain
Tightness in the jaw
Teeth that look worn flat or feel newly sensitive
A partner who can hear you grinding at night

Then match the type of bruxism you have:

Daytime clenching: an ultra-thin, low-profile guard you can wear without it showing
Moderate grinding: a hybrid, with a soft inner layer and a hard outer layer, at 2mm or 3mm
Heavy grinding: a hard guard at 2mm or 3mm, in a material that will not wear through

2. Types of Night Guards: Stock, Boil-and-Bite and Custom

Once you have decided you want a nightguard, the next question is how it is made, because that decides how well it fits. A guard that does not fit properly can shift your teeth over time, which is the opposite of what you bought it for. There are three kinds.

Stock mouth guards: ready-to-wear protectors sold in pharmacies and sporting goods shops. They are cheap, but they are bulky, they cannot be adjusted, and dentists generally agree they offer limited protection.

Boil-and-bite mouth guards: made from a thermoplastic that softens in hot water. You bite into the softened material and it takes a rough impression of your teeth. Better than stock, still not a true fit.

Custom-fitted night guards: moulded to your own teeth from an impression, so they match your bite rather than approximating it. They give the most comfort and the most protection. They are the most expensive of the three, but not by as much as people assume: the guard is made in a dental lab either way, and whether your dentist orders it or you order it direct is what changes the price.

3. How Much Do Night Guards Cost?

There are three price tiers, and the gap between them is wider than most people expect.

	What it is	Typical cost
Over the counter	One-size stock or boil-and-bite guard from a pharmacy	$20 to $30 [2]
Custom, from an online lab	Impression taken at home, guard made in a dental lab	about $175 [2] - ours are $149 to $189
Custom, from a dentist	Impression taken in the chair, guard made in a dental lab	$200 to $1,000 [2]

Look at what is the same across the bottom two rows: the appliance is made in a dental lab either way. The extra you pay at a dentist buys chair time and an office visit, not a different product. The price bands above are GoodRx's figures, not ours.

Two things worth knowing before you compare. Night guards are usually covered by dental insurance when a dentist decides one is medically necessary. And they are HSA and FSA eligible wherever you buy them.

4. How Should a Night Guard Fit?

A guard that fits properly stays put without you clenching to hold it, covers every tooth on the arch without pressing into your gums, and lets your jaw close evenly. You should stop noticing it within a week or two.

If it never becomes comfortable, that is information. Soreness in one specific spot usually means it needs adjusting rather than replacing. A guard that keeps coming loose, or one you are still fighting after a few weeks, is the wrong fit or the wrong type. And if the grinding itself is not easing, that is worth raising with a dentist.

Upper or lower: most people wear an upper guard and most dentists default to it, because the upper arch is larger and holds a guard more securely. A lower guard is often the better choice if you have a strong gag reflex, wear an upper retainer, or simply find the upper one intrusive. In most cases it comes down to comfort, and a dentist can tell you if your bite makes one clearly better. Every guard we make comes in either.

5. Night Guard Materials and Thickness

Night guard thickness is measured in millimetres, and 2mm or 3mm covers almost everyone. But material decides how long a guard survives, and it matters more than thickness.

A hybrid guard is built in two layers: a soft inner layer against your teeth for comfort, and a hard outer layer that takes the grinding. A soft guard is a single flexible layer. A hard guard is a single rigid one.

Whatever you choose, check that it is BPA-free and latex-free. You will have it in your mouth for six to eight hours a night, every night, so the material is not a detail. Our nightguards are made from BPA-free nylon and medical-grade copolyester.

How hard you grind	What to choose	Thickness	Typical lifespan	Ours
Light clenching, or daytime wear	Soft, flexible nylon	2mm or 3mm	6 months to 2 years	Soft Night Guard, $149
Moderate to severe grinding	Hybrid: soft inner layer, hard outer	2mm or 3mm	1 to 2 years	Comfort Hybrid, $169
Heavy grinding, you wear guards out	Hard medical-grade copolyester	2mm or 3mm	1 to 2 years	Hard Night Guard, $189

Clear custom mouth guard being held

Those three are ours: the Soft Night Guard, the Comfort Hybrid and the Hard Night Guard. If you have crowns, bridges, implants, veneers or dentures, the hybrid is the one we would point you at: the soft inner layer cushions the restoration while the hard outer layer takes the grinding.

6. Durability and Cleaning

The last thing to check is how easily it cleans, because a guard you cannot keep clean is a guard you will stop wearing. Rinse it in cool water as soon as you take it out, brush it gently without toothpaste (abrasives scratch the surface, and scratches hold bacteria), and let it dry fully before it goes back in its case. Keep it away from hot water: the thermoplastics used in custom guards soften with heat, which is exactly how boil-and-bite guards are shaped in the first place.

We make all three types in our own lab, from an impression you take at home. The impression kit and a storage case are included, and your nightguard is back with you in about three to four weeks.

If you are not sure which one suits how you grind, tell us what you are dealing with and we will point you at the right one.

Common Questions

How much does a night guard cost at the dentist?
$200 to $1,000. The same custom appliance from an online dental lab runs about $175, and ours are $149 to $189. It is lab-made in both cases.
How thick should a night guard be?
2mm suits light to moderate grinding and is the more comfortable of the two. 3mm is for heavy grinding, where a thinner guard would wear through. Material matters as much as thickness: a 2mm hard guard withstands more than a 3mm soft one.
How do I know if my night guard fits properly?
It should stay in place without you clenching to hold it, cover every tooth on the arch without pressing into your gums, and let your jaw close evenly. Soreness in one specific spot after a few nights means it needs adjusting, not that you need a different guard.
How long does a night guard last?
Six months to two years for a soft guard, one to two years for a hybrid or a hard guard, with heavy grinders at the short end of both. Replace it when you can see worn-through patches or it stops seating properly.
Does insurance cover a night guard?
Often, when a dentist determines one is medically necessary. Ours are made by a dental lab in coordination with a licensed dentist rather than billed through a dental office, so check how your plan handles out-of-network appliances. They are HSA and FSA eligible either way.