Natural Mouth Guard (night guard) for teeth

Hello folks!

I have been cracking up my teeth at night, unfortunately, and it's getting to the point where I'm thinking of getting myself a plastic mouth guard. I clench and grind my teeth at night since childhood, and over 10 years ago I did try plastic mouth guards, however the plastic taste was overwhelming, and I promptly broke a tooth on it. So I stopped using it. Now that I'm breaking teeth without it, I'm back to the drawing board.

Does anyone use a night guard or mouth guard that is made of more natural materials? I was thinking about trying to carve a wood one, but im a little concerned that I would end up swallowing splinters. I think it needs to be reasonably soft, but not something that could become a choking hazard.

Note: I have tried things like relaxing the jaw and lowering stress in my life (HA hahaha) but I'm looking for a physical solution this time, if you know one!

Thank you!

Hi Kay! Ouch, that sounds pretty rough. I can't imagine having plastic in my mouth all night either. Nor having to bite into a hot piece of plastic to mold it to your mouth!

Might there be a natural rubber mouthguard out there? I searched a little with not much luck, other than one that was still in development. However, it said they would only last 4-6 weeks, which seems pretty short to me.

I know you said you already tried relaxing the jaw and reducing stress. I do wonder if there might be exercises that would help with this though. Another possibility might be seeking out a massage therapist, possibly someone that does craniosacral therapy. I have found that super helpful for reducing jaw tension myself. A physical therapist might be another possibility to explore.
There's a couple jaw exercises here: https://www.sleepfoundation.org/bruxism/tips

Adding some magnesium to your diet, preferably through food could be helpful. It's super important and most folks are deficient. Using it topically via either magnesium oil or a lotion can be quite effective. I've experienced it stopping a bad muscle cramp in seconds. I wonder if putting some one your face, jaw and neck at bedtime could help? Magnesium "oil" is super easy to make, you really just boil water and dissolve magnesium chloride into it. Here's more info, if that's of interest: https://theherbalacademy.com/homemade-magnesium-oil/

I hope you find a solution that works for you!

When I was at a dentist I asked him to make a plaster mold of my teeth.
I have one tooth that is wandering and was tapping the bottom teeth when I talk or eat.

He asked why and I told him I was going to make my own invisilines.
He makes and sells them using scanners and 3D printers. So he didn't want to help me.
When he asked how I thought of this plan
I told him a dentist saw my tooth, knew I couldn't afford braces or invisilines, mentioned that's how they used to make invisilines .
He pressed me for his name but I wouldn't give his name.
He was actually helpful after that.
Had to remove everything I didn't want he suggested a hot knife.

Got a 5"x5" vacuum molder for under $150.

I cut the tooth off the mold, glued it on a little forward and vacuum molded a piece of 40 thou plastic sheet over it.
It's a perfect fit, they practically snap on and the tooth is getting moved into place.
I've moved the mold 3 times.
They only cost me $1 worth of plastic each time.
Real dental plastic costs about $5 each 5" sheet.
Invisalines cost over $1000.
Not sure if it's BPA free.

My sister had dark teeth and she made white plastic covers out of that plastic you boil then mold.
Remember to use a mold release like food grade silicone or something.

I wear plastic retainers that are like invisilines. They work as mouth guards, too. It think it cost about $100-150 for the appointment and both top and bottom retainers. They help with the clenching of teeth, and also keep my teeth from shifting (I had a BUNCH of orthodontia done as a kid, and so have a lot of gum recession and bone loss). If my teeth shift, I lose more bone and gum, so I'll be--sadly--wearing these retainers for the rest of my life. I hope and pray the plastics aren't doing negative affects on my health. I used to have hard plastic retainers (the kind that goes against the roof of your mouth, with a metal bar across the front of the teeth), but my orthodontist no longer makes those.

I wonder, if your teeth are cracking in mouth guard, maybe it they wouldn't crack in a well fitted retainer?  

The only natural means I've found to keep from grinding my teeth is to put my tongue or cheek between my teeth. When my teeth were shifting a lot and were very uncomfortable, and I was clenching my teeth a lot, I spent a lot of time with my tongue or cheeks between my teeth. I do wonder if that sort of thing causes teeth to shift, much like some children who suck their thumbs have their front teeth shifted too far forward...

When I was at a dentist I asked him to make a plaster mold of my teeth.
I have one tooth that is wandering and was tapping the bottom teeth when I talk or eat.

He asked why and I told him I was going to make my own invisilines.

Maybe try an orthodontist? Mine actually gave me a model of my teeth when I ordered two sets of retainers--they want me to keep the copy of my teeth so I can easily get new retainers made if my retainers break. I'm not sure if they'd give it to you without a retainer, though...

Thank you everybody for your thoughts and well wishes!

Heather, that's really interesting about that natural rubber one, even if it only lasts 4-6 weeks. I could just stock up a bit. Was it "naturalmouthguards.com"? I signed up for their newsletter when they come out, in case that would work. I would love to hear about more of these kinds of alternatives, especially ones that are already on the market for purchase.

Getting more magnesium does sound like a good idea for me. Massages sound great! I still have yet to figure out how to take the time to take care of myself.

That's very clever to make your own mouth guards, craig! Maybe if i find a natural material i feel would work, i should start with a mouth-plaster mold.

Nicole, i also have found that putting my tongue between my teeth and intentionally relaxing my jaw before sleeping helps a little bit. It probably helps me to try not to put my tension into my face, ha. But it doesn't work for the whole night, usually just at first, and not all the time.

I read that some people used to chew pine or spruce sap as a kind of a gum, but that it's pretty hard and also crumbly at first. I wonder if it would stay hard enough in the mouth overnight so it's not a choking hazard? Does it have anything that might be toxic when a little is ingested every day? (And i wonder if i could handle a very intense tree flavor!) Does anybody have experience with these kinds of saps used as chewing gum?

So sorry you're dealing with that Kay. I also used to grind my teeth at night, it really sucks waking up and having your teeth hurt, only to realize you've been grinding them.

For me the solution was reducing the amount of tension in my jaw/neck. I had a lot of it (still do) that caused me to clench my teeth even while I was awake - I'd be focused on something, only to realize that my jaw was completely clenched and my teeth were grinding.

There are many solutions to body tension, but the one that worked best for me on this issue is deceptively simple. A lot of the neck strain I have (which is a big influence on jaw tension) comes from my full time job doing desk work. Since I tend to be leaning forward, that forces my neck to bear the weight of my head, and puts strain on the cervical vertebrae. I had an idea to put gravity to work pushing my neck back the opposite way.

The way I achieve this is by hanging my head upside down for a while. I do this by laying down on my back on a flat surface with some space next to it (usually my bed). My body will be fully on the surface, while my head extends out over the edge. The further over the edge your head is, the more weight will be applied to your neck - you can have part of your neck on the surface to receive more support. After I've set myself up like this, I'll slowly relax my neck and let my head hang upside down. Importantly, I try to keep my neck muscles as relaxed as possible once my head is fully lowered, which can be quite difficult. There are many muscle groups that are always active throughout the day while you're up and moving, and when you give them a chance to relax like this the tension released can be rather unpleasant.

I try to let my head hang for as long as I can, then I relax a bit. I've tried many methods to reduce my neck tension, but this one is by far the most effective. Typically, I'll hang my head for a while, then I get up and lie down normally and just instantly fall asleep because of all the tension I got rid of. I recommend that you start slowly when doing this - don't just let your head flop down to a hanging position, it's important to maintain control while slowly lowering/raising your neck.

I hope this helps with your jaw tension issues.

I used to grind my teeth as a kid. Had to wear a mouthguard for a few years.

I think we just used the home boil it yourself types. They really shouldn't damage your teeth if they are well fitted. I know that some people put a LOT of care into shaping them. They will go through the boiling and shaping process multiple times, and they will also take care to trim any excess. For night wear you don't need the heavy duty ones that sports players use.

Can't speak for the flavour. They were noticable, but not horrible. I imagine the technology has moved on over 20 years though.

My dentist keeps trying to have me get these...I am certain I would spit them out and by morning they would be VERY expensive dog toys!

I also am unsure that I night grind - Spouse says I don't...  BUT I certainly clench during the day; not sure a guard would solve my issue.   What I was going to look into was the "heat and form" ones used for sports.   Seems to me these would be rubbery and a lot less pricey than the official dental ones.  Figure if I didn't toss it while sleeping,  leaving it for dog fodder, I might cough up for the one from the dentist.