I’ve wondered the same thing about those thinner guards—like, are they actually protecting anything or just making it less noisy? My dentist said the custom ones work better, but honestly, I couldn’t handle how thick it was either. I sometimes end up just not wearing it at all... which probably isn’t great. The sugar thing is weird too—if I eat ice cream late, my jaw feels sore the next day. Never thought that was connected until now. Haven’t tried any sprays yet; I’m a bit skeptical about them actually relaxing muscles through the mouth, but maybe I’m just overthinking it.
I kinda wondered about the sprays too—like, how are they supposed to work if you’re just spraying the inside of your mouth? Feels like if my jaw muscles are tense, a spray isn’t gonna do much. The custom guard thing is tricky for me too. Mine felt way too chunky, I could barely close my mouth and ended up just taking it out halfway through the night... Not sure if that defeats the purpose or not.
About the sugar, that’s interesting. I’ve noticed my jaw gets tight after eating candy late at night, but I never connected it to soreness the next day. Maybe there really is something going on with sugar and muscle tension? Has anyone had luck finding a guard that’s thin enough to wear but still actually helps? Or is it just a trade-off between comfort and protection?
Yeah, I totally get what you mean about the guard feeling like a mouthful—mine was so bulky at first I thought I’d never get used to it. Ended up switching to a “thin” custom one from my dentist, which helped a lot, but honestly there’s still a bit of a trade-off. As for the sugar thing, I always thought it was just me being paranoid, but now I’m wondering if there’s really something to it. Jaw tightness after sweets is weirdly real. Hang in there—it took me a bunch of tries to find something that worked, but it did get better over time.
Ended up switching to a “thin” custom one from my dentist, which helped a lot, but honestly there’s still a bit of a trade-off.
I totally hear you on the trade-off. I was so tempted by those fancy custom guards, but the price tag was just... yikes. Ended up trying one of those boil-and-bite ones from the drugstore. It wasn’t perfect—definitely bulkier than the dentist version—but after a few nights, I actually got used to it. Saved me a couple hundred bucks at least.
The sugar thing is wild, right? I always thought I was imagining it too. For me, if I eat candy late at night, my jaw just locks up and I grind way more in my sleep. Not sure if it’s blood sugar or what, but cutting back on sweets before bed made a difference.
Did you ever try any of the over-the-counter guards before going custom? Or did your dentist recommend skipping straight to the thin one? Curious if anyone’s found an affordable option that isn’t super uncomfortable...
Ended up trying one of those boil-and-bite ones from the drugstore. It wasn’t perfect—definitely bulkier than the dentist version—but after a few nights, I actually got used to it.
That’s interesting—you adjusted to the bulkier guard after a few nights? I could never quite manage that. My jaw would ache in the morning, so I caved and paid for the custom one. Have you noticed if your bite feels different since switching? I sometimes worry about shifting teeth with these guards.
