We've been through a few mouthguards for my daughter, and honestly, 6-8 months sounds about right. I get pretty anxious about bacteria buildup too, so we started doing the denture tablet soak thing nightly instead of weekly—maybe overkill, but it helps me sleep better knowing it's clean. Doesn't seem to extend the lifespan much though...guess they're just not built to last forever. Hang in there, you're definitely not alone with this!
"Doesn't seem to extend the lifespan much though...guess they're just not built to last forever."
Yeah, same here—mine usually makes it around 7 months tops. Tried the nightly denture soak too, but honestly, it just made me spend more on tablets without much difference. Mouthguards are just sneaky money pits, lol.
Yeah, I feel you on the denture tablets—tried that route myself and didn't notice much improvement either. Mine usually lasts around 6-8 months, depending on how stressed I am (more stress = more grinding, sadly). One thing that helped me a bit was rinsing it thoroughly every morning and letting it air dry completely before storing it. Didn't magically double its lifespan or anything, but at least it felt fresher and less gross overall... Small wins, right?
Totally agree about the drying step—it's a small detail, but it makes a noticeable difference in freshness. From my experience, 6-8 months is pretty typical, especially if you're dealing with stress-related grinding. I've found that gently brushing mine with a soft toothbrush and mild soap every few days helps keep it feeling cleaner and less worn out. Doesn't dramatically extend its life, but it does make it more comfortable to wear nightly... Like you said, small wins count.
"I've found that gently brushing mine with a soft toothbrush and mild soap every few days helps keep it feeling cleaner and less worn out."
Definitely agree with this! I used to just rinse mine quickly, but once I started gently brushing it, the comfort difference was noticeable. Mine usually lasts around 9 months, but I think that's because my grinding isn't as intense as some people's. Also, storing it in a ventilated case instead of a closed container seems to help with freshness... learned that one the hard way after dealing with some funky smells, haha.
