DenTek Mouth Guard for Nighttime Teeth Grinding, Professional-Fit Dental Guard, 1 Count

I have been using this product for a decade or more, and it just gets better with each improvement. My first dental guard was custom-made by my dentist for a lot of money ($100s, as I recall), and it lasted maybe a year. I decided that was way too much to pay, so I got one of these for around $20. I can now use them for over a year before they wear out. They fit tight and don’t bother you at all when you sleep. The formed part does eventually detach from the the flexible plastic outer guard, but that process takes months to complete, and you can still use it till it completely separates. The key is to brush it thoroughly every time you brush your teeth, so it stays clean and sanitary. You can ignore the "don’t wear any longer than 6 months" advice, unless you have some peculiar dental problems. I don’t, other than bruxism (teeth grinding).One tip: before you heat the new mouth guard and insert it into your teeth, practice a couple of time to make sure you align it properly. I heat it on the stove in water rather than using the microwave, just because I trust that more.Second tip: when you’ve heated the mouth guard properly (follow all the instructions), and are ready to stick it in your mouth, don’t bite down too hard and also leave just a little bit of room in front of your front teeth for some of the silicone to remain there as you bear down with your bite. If you bite down too hard you will hit the flexible plastic outer guard, and that will weaken the bond of the silicone to the outer guard, shortening the life of you mouth guard considerably. Remember that most of the grinding and wear come from your back teeth, so you want a bit more "cushion" back there than in the front, so think of biting down with more pressure on your front teeth than on your back teeth. I know that sounds weird, but practice it a little, and you will see what I mean.Third tip: once you have bitten down on the new mouth guard, maintain your bite until the directions say to let loose, and very slowly remove the guard from your teeth. It will want to stick at first, and you don’t want to yank crowns off as you remove it. If necessary, swish a little water around in your mouth and then ease the guard off your teeth.If things don’t work the first time, you can try one more time, but the mouth guard will probably not last as long or fit quite as well, so get it right the first time! Practice!

For the price and my needs it works great. I learned recently that I clench my teeth when I sleep. I had a tiny fracture in one of my teeth that started this discussion and then started waking up with jaw pain and headaches. Instead of paying a few hundred I thought I’d try this out first. If it doesn’t work, no harm done.I followed the instructions pretty closely and was able to get a solid impression just using my phones selfie mode camera to see if the mold was positioned ok. I do have a small mouth but the guard itself is fairly small. It does not cover my back molars (wisdom teeth were removed) but it does the trick. I only use one guard for the top.I also sleep with a CPAP (nose) and find no issues with using a mouth guard and now no stress about clenching my teeth. I do not think I’m a heavy clencher and do not grind my teeth so I can’t speak to the toughness bc if my issue was more serious I’d put some serious money into it. So with my situation and size of mouth, this product worked great.

Comfortable! I had a very expensive night guard that I broke and I think that this is on par with the expensive one as far as comfort and it’s way easier then going to the dentist. Only issue is I tend to chew through them after a month or so. I’m sure I’m eating some of the plastic in my sleep, so if you’re worried about micro plastics, this is not for you. Hope that not TMI but if you’re a heavy grinder, beware

I hardly write reviews on Amazon, but after giving into ordering these because of this pandemic which limits my access to stores, I now know that I will never, even in the most desperate of times, buy Dentek products again. Now, I am someone who has been wearing dental guards for the last 5+ years. Due to stress and other issues, I mash my teeth at night so hard it wakes up my partner, and even me sometimes, due to the sound of grinding. So I have gone through various pairs of dental guards, they tend to last me about 6 months each, but if they fit comfortably and cause no disturbances in my sleep, I don't mind replacing them.Issue 1: FitThe first set of moldable dental guards I used were from Dentek, and I remember always hating how bulky they were because they did not allow me to close my mouth. On top of that, I would bite through them in less than 3 months. Thankfully, I have found other brands, usually pharmacy brands through Riteaid and Walgreens, that fit much better, are not bulky, last longer, and usually sell for two for the price of this one dentek!This time around I had sincerely hoped the experience would be different. It was not! I am a woman, and perhaps this product works better for men, still highly doubtful. But first of all, even though the product is molded in the same way as every other dental guard, it is much harder to get the right fit on the first try! Other great products have an additional piece that allows the user to widen or narrow the plastic holder depending on your mouth shape. This dentek product does not, meaning you are mostly forced to fit your mouth shape into the shape of the plastic holder with hardly any adjustments being possible. This meant that on my first try, the mold came out lopsided and when I closed my mouth, not only was the dental guard loose, only one side touched part of my bottom teeth, the other side did not meaning I would definitely have jaw alignment issues. Again, I am someone who uses dental guards all of the time! This was not just a case of me not knowing what I'm doing.Issue 2: DurabilitySince I was forced to redo the molding due to the flawed design, and due to the bulkiness of the product, this meant that now I am left with a product that is already falling apart (Please see pictures). Additionally, even though the fit was better than on my first try, it still had the issue of alignment, but did fit tighter somehow so it was not easily falling off. The product however, still forced my mouth to remain open in an uncomfortable manner.Issue 3: Impact on sleep - Issues with throatI woke up 4 times last night coughing. Because this product forces my mouth to remain open, my throat got extremely dry throughout the night and I was actually worried I was getting sick with a dry cough. The last time it woke me up I decided to take the product off and lo and behold, no coughing for the rest of the night.Issue 4: PriceAs I have already mentioned, you can get other great products which typically sell with two mouth guards for the price of this one Dentek! It is much more worth it for you to buy a product, with similar reviews as this one, that will AT LEAST grant you access to two dental guards instead of one. It is just not worth it and now I have lost out on $20 for something that I did not even get to wear one full night! And yes, sometimes dental guards take sometime getting used to, but this was not the case here. If you order these because you were as desperate as I am, and are experiencing the issues I mention above, please know that it is not normal and you can definitely find another guard that will work better for you! Don't give up and wear this horrible product. It can do a lot more harm than good.