Mouthguards & Night Guards

Custom-made protection for sport, and for grinding at night.

Mouthguards & Night Guards at St Ives Smiles Dentistry

A sports mouthguard and a night guard do different jobs. A mouthguard is worn during sport and absorbs the impact of a knock to the face. A night guard is a firmer device that protects your teeth from the wear and damage caused by grinding or clenching, usually overnight. One doesn’t replace the other.

At St Ives Smiles Dentistry, we make both custom to fit your teeth. If you need one of each, we can make them.

At a glance

Sports mouthguard: Protects teeth and mouth during sport, custom-fitted, starts from $200
Night guard: Protects teeth from grinding wear, doesn't stop the grinding itself, starts from $750
Made from: A digital scan of your own teeth
Not interchangeable: A night guard isn't a sports mouthguard, and a sports mouthguard isn't a night guard

What's the Difference Between a Sports Mouthguard and a Night Guard?

A sports mouthguard and a night guard are different devices, built for different situations. A sports mouthguard is worn during sports training and games and works by absorbing and spreading the impact of a knock to the face. A night guard, or occlusal splint, is a hard plastic device fitted over your upper or lower teeth to protect them from wear and damage caused by grinding or clenching, usually worn overnight.

Neither one substitutes for the other. A night guard isn't built to cushion a sporting impact, and a sports mouthguard isn't designed to manage grinding. If you need both, for example if you play a contact sport and also grind your teeth at night, St Ives Smiles can make you one of each.

Sports mouthguard

Who Needs a Custom Sports Mouthguard?

Anyone who plays a sport is at some risk of injuring their teeth and mouth, and that includes sports beyond the obvious contact ones. Rugby, hockey and boxing carry an obvious risk, but cricket, basketball, netball, touch football, skateboarding and soccer can also lead to a knocked-out, fractured or cracked tooth, a broken jaw, or cut lips and tongues.

A sports mouthguard can protect you from these injuries by absorbing and spreading the force of an impact before it reaches your teeth and jaw. It's worn for training as well as games, not just competition days, since the risk doesn't go away just because the stakes are lower.

Why Choose a Custom-Made Mouthguard Over a Store-Bought One?

A custom-made mouthguard is fitted from a scan of your own teeth, so it sits firmly and evenly rather than shifting around in your mouth. A close, even fit is what makes a mouthguard protective, and it's also what makes it comfortable enough to talk and breathe through during a game.

Store-bought and boil-and-bite mouthguards often fit more loosely, which can make them move around in your mouth and make talking and breathing harder. The do-it-yourself moulding process behind a boil-and-bite guard can also leave parts of it thinner than others, which affects how evenly it protects your teeth. At St Ives Smiles, a custom mouthguard is made from a digital scan of your teeth using our in-house intraoral scanner, rather than a stock shape or a mould you soften yourself.

Night guard

What Is a Night Guard For?

A night guard, or occlusal splint, protects your teeth from the wear and damage caused by grinding or clenching, and can ease some of the strain that grinding puts on your jaw. It's a hard plastic device custom-fitted to your own teeth, covering part of the biting surface rather than the whole mouth.

Not everyone who grinds or clenches their teeth needs a night guard. It's something a dentist may recommend after looking at the wear on your teeth and talking through your symptoms with you, not something to assume you need just because a partner mentions you grind.

Will a Night Guard Stop Me Grinding My Teeth?

No. A night guard doesn't stop the grinding itself; it protects your teeth from the effects of grinding and can ease some of the associated symptoms, such as strain on your jaw muscles.

Many children who grind their teeth simply grow out of it, and grinding in adults doesn't automatically call for treatment either. Whether a night guard is worth having comes down to a conversation with your dentist about the wear on your teeth and how it's affecting you, not a rule that applies to everyone who grinds.

How Long Do Mouthguards and Night Guards Last?

A custom sports mouthguard can last multiple sporting seasons if it's used, stored and fit-checked by your dentist, as long as you're no longer growing. For children and teenagers who are still growing, a mouthguard is more likely to need replacing sooner, since it stops fitting as the jaw develops.

A night guard is replaced when it stops fitting, becomes bent out of shape, worn, or broken, or when dental treatment such as a crown changes the shape of a tooth it sits against. Both devices are checked at your routine dental visits.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does a custom mouthguard or night guard cost at St Ives Smiles?

A custom sports mouthguard starts from $200. A night guard (occlusal splint) for teeth grinding starts from $750.

Can children use a custom sports mouthguard?

Yes, and it's worth having one properly fitted for any child playing a sport with contact risk. Because children are still growing, expect a mouthguard to need replacing more often than an adult's would, as the fit changes with growth.

How do I look after my mouthguard or night guard?

Keep it dry, store it in its case rather than loose in a bag, and clean it gently rather than with hot water, which can distort the shape. Your dentist checks the fit at your regular visits either way.

What if my mouthguard or night guard stops fitting properly?

Bring it in so your dentist can check it. A night guard that no longer fits, is bent out of shape, worn or broken needs to be replaced, and the same applies if dental treatment such as a new crown has changed the shape of the tooth it fits against.