I hear you on the “flip-flop in the mouth” thing. I tried one of those boil-and-bite guards from the drugstore because my wallet was already hurting from dental bills. It was like sleeping with a retainer made out of a milk jug. I lasted maybe a week before I started leaving it on my nightstand and just hoping for the best. Honestly, I’m still on the fence about whether the discomfort is worth it, especially since I end up spitting it out halfway through the night anyway...
Those boil-and-bite guards are brutal, aren’t they? I tried them years ago and couldn’t stand it. Honestly, once I bit the bullet and got a custom one from my dentist, it was night and day. Not cheap, but at least I could sleep without feeling like I had a Tupperware lid in my mouth. If you’re grinding your teeth, the discomfort’s probably still better than cracked molars down the line, but yeah... it’s a tough call when money’s tight.
at least I could sleep without feeling like I had a Tupperware lid in my mouth
That’s exactly how my kid described it—except he said it was like trying to sleep with a Lego brick stuck in there. We tried the cheap ones and he lasted maybe two nights before it “disappeared” (aka, he hid it). Ended up caving for the custom guard too. My wallet cried, but at least bedtime isn’t a dramatic production anymore. Still can’t believe something so tiny costs so much, though.
I get the custom ones are supposed to be comfier, but man, my cheapo Amazon guard actually worked fine after I trimmed it down a bit. Not perfect, but for $15? I’ll deal with a little extra plastic if it means not skipping rent.
That’s fair—those boil-and-bite guards from Amazon can actually do the trick for a lot of folks, especially if you don’t mind a little DIY trimming. I get people all the time who say they’d rather deal with a chunkier fit than drop a few hundred bucks on a custom one. Out of curiosity, do you ever wake up with jaw soreness or headaches, or has your trimmed-down guard been enough to keep things comfy? Sometimes it’s all about finding what works for your own mouth, even if it’s not “perfect.”