Protect Your Teeth with One of These Mouth Guards

Whether you’re an athlete, a night-grinder, or you have a specific medical condition, let’s face it: professionally-made mouthguards are extremely expensive, and many insurances do not cover them. So here are some good options for affordable and effective over-the-counter mouth guards to protect your teeth.

What to Look for in a Mouth Guard

What you need to consider:

• Use: Bruxism should be taken seriously. If you’re a sufferer, then look for a medical-grade product. Are you an athlete? There are guards just for you. If you’re a traveling grinder, look for disposable guards to avoid lugging around an expensive mouthpiece you can’t afford to lose.
• Price: Consider your budget. Even though over-the-counter mouth guards are less expensive than dentist-made versions, they vary in price. Think about your budget, your dental needs, and how much you can compromise.
• Fit: As you’ll soon discover, there are as many methods to achieving the right fit as there are mouth guard brands. Some are one size fits all. Alternatively, you may be in charge of heating and molding the guard.

Best Overall: Plackers Grind No More Dental Night Guard

Plackers has been around for decades and has a good reputation for their dental products. The same holds true for the Grind No More disposable night guard. But will they fit? This night guard is one-size-fits-most for upper or lower teeth. Its design includes a bite plate with alignment grooves and a stabilizing lip to decrease slippage. Use them for up to three nights, then dispose of them.

Premium Option: enCore Laboratory Custom Dental Night Guard

First, you choose from the four mouth guard models, depending on the degree of bruxism you’re dealing with: hard, soft, dual-layer, or daytime hard. Put in your order, and enCore sends you an impression kit. Once completed, return your imprint using the pre-paid mailer to enCore. Then, their dental technicians craft your custom night guard. You can’t get closer to a dentist-made mouth guard as enCore. And it’s significantly less expensive.

A Reliable Choice: DenTek Professional-Fit, Dental Guard

You’re the dentist in charge here. This is a heat, form, and wear mouth guard, so you’re in charge. What’s in the box? You get a mouth guard, a patented fitting tray, and an antimicrobial storage case. Don’t worry, there are instructions, too. This night guard protects the upper teeth, both front and back. The DenTek Professional Fit dental guard is rated as the #1 OTC dental guard brand! Do you need more convincing?

Best for Sports: Shock Doctor Gel Max Sports Mouthguard

If you are a parent of a young athlete or an athlete yourself, you likely have an idea of how hard sports can impact teeth. So good job taking care of your teeth! With a heavy-duty shock protective frame and inner gel-like foam, this mouthguard offers the ideal fit and durability. The guard is suitable for all contact sports. Arguably the best feature: it comes in numerous colors, each with a different flavor!

Medical-Grade: LORIOUS One Size Fits All Mouthguard

The Lorious mouthguard kit is quite the package — several guards and lots of options. With one purchase, you get six moldable mouth guards and a teeth whitening tray. Each of the mouth guards targets four different needs: protection from mild, moderate, or aggressive teeth grinding and athletic impacts, and it serves as a tray for teeth whitening. To get a custom fit, you boil the mouthguard, remove it, bite down, then trim it with a scissor. Mold them for upper or lower teeth. Voila!