I've tried both the custom mouthguard from my dentist and the cheaper boil-and-bite ones from the drugstore. Honestly, the custom one fits way better (no surprise), but it's also pricier. The boil-and-bite was kind of bulky and made me drool a bit more, lol. But for sports, maybe that's not a big deal? Curious which type people actually prefer for comfort and sleep, and if the extra cost really feels worth it to you?
I totally get what you mean about the drooling thing.
I had the same issue—woke up with a soggy pillow a couple times, which was honestly kind of gross. The custom one my dentist made just sits tighter and feels way less awkward, especially when I’m trying to sleep. I’m super paranoid about grinding my teeth at night, so the extra comfort is a big deal for me.The boil-and-bite was kind of bulky and made me drool a bit more, lol.
But yeah, the price tag for the custom guard definitely made me hesitate. I remember thinking, am I really paying this much for a piece of plastic? But after a few nights of actually sleeping through without waking up feeling like I’d just chewed on a brick, I felt better about it.
For sports, I guess the fit isn’t as crucial since you’re not wearing it all night, but for sleep, I’d rather pay more and not stress about jaw pain or drooling. Maybe it’s just my anxiety talking, but I always worry the cheap ones aren’t protecting my teeth enough either...
Yeah, the drooling with boil-and-bite guards is real. I remember thinking I’d just get used to it, but after a couple of nights waking up feeling like I’d slept with a mouthful of marbles, I started looking into the custom ones too. Honestly, the price made me wince at first. It felt like a lot for something that looked pretty basic—just some molded plastic, right? But after actually using it, the difference was night and day. No more awkward fit or waking up half-choking on spit.
I get what you mean about sports guards not needing to be as precise. For sleeping though, I just couldn’t deal with the bulk or worrying if it was really protecting my teeth. I grind a lot at night and had jaw pain for months before finally caving in for the custom one. Haven’t looked back since.
It’s wild how much comfort matters when you’re trying to get decent sleep. The anxiety about whether the cheaper guard was actually doing its job definitely played into my decision too... Sometimes peace of mind is worth a little extra, even if it stings your wallet at first.
Sometimes peace of mind is worth a little extra, even if it stings your wallet at first.
I totally get that, but for me the price difference was just too much. I ended up sticking with boil-and-bite and honestly, after a few tries I found one that fit pretty snug. Still drool a bit, but it’s manageable. Maybe I just got lucky? I guess if your grinding is really severe, it makes sense to go custom, but for lighter clenching, the cheaper ones seem to do the trick—at least in my case.
Kind of reassuring to hear someone else managed with the boil-and-bite, honestly. The price tag on the custom one made me wince a bit too, but I caved because I kept waking up with a sore jaw and was convinced my teeth were plotting against me at night. The custom guard definitely feels less like having a mouthful of plastic, but I totally get what you mean about just finding a boil-and-bite that works after some trial and error.
Funny thing—my first attempt at molding one of those drugstore guards ended with it looking like some weird, lumpy chew toy. Not my finest moment. But after a couple of tries (and burning my tongue once, oops), it was decent enough to use for basketball. Didn’t stop me from sounding like I had marbles in my mouth when I tried to talk, though.
For sleep, the custom one’s been way better for me—less drool, fits tighter, doesn’t wake me up when I roll over. But if I only needed it for sports or mild clenching? The cheaper ones would probably be fine. It’s just that peace of mind thing… like you said, sometimes hard to put a price on not grinding your molars into dust.
I did notice that the custom guard is way easier to clean too. The boil-and-bite kind of started smelling funky after a while no matter how much I scrubbed it (TMI?). Maybe that’s just me being lazy about cleaning though.
Anyway, seems like it really depends how much your teeth are bugging you and whether you’re using it every night or just occasionally. If my dentist hadn’t warned me about possibly cracking a tooth (yikes), I might’ve stuck with the cheapies too.
