Night Guards for Teeth Grinding in Edinburgh
If you wake with a stiff or sore jaw or a headache, or someone has told you that you grind your teeth in your sleep, a night guard may help. It is a removable guard, made to fit over your upper or lower teeth and worn at night, that protects them from the wear and breakage grinding can cause. At City Dental Care on Earl Grey Street, the examination covers your bite, your jaw joints and signs of grinding or clenching, and your dentist will tell you honestly whether a guard is worth having: treatment for grinding is not always needed.
Transparent pricing
Night Guards from £200Our private fee, as on our published price list
Whatever your dentist recommends is quoted in writing before it is booked.
Signs You Might Be Grinding or Clenching
Grinding and clenching can happen while you are awake or asleep, and many people who grind their teeth in their sleep don't realise they do it. The first clue is often one of these:
- A partner telling you they hear you grinding in your sleep
- Stiff or sore jaw muscles when you wake up
- Headaches, especially in the morning
- Teeth or fillings that are worn, cracked or broken
- Teeth that have become sore or sensitive
- Pain in your jaw, face or ear
- Ridges on the insides of your cheeks, or tooth marks along the sides of your tongue
- Disturbed sleep
What Causes Teeth Grinding?
It isn't always clear why people grind their teeth. NHS advice is that it is often linked to stress and anxiety, the most common cause, and also to sleep problems such as snoring and sleep apnoea, taking medicines for sleep problems, depression or anxiety, smoking, and drinking a lot of alcohol or caffeine.
Grinding in your sleep is driven by brain activity during sleep that you have no control over, and you may find it is worse when you are not sleeping well.
What a Night Guard Does, and What It Doesn't
A night guard (you may also hear it called a mouth guard, splint or bite guard) is made by a dentist to fit over your upper or lower teeth and is worn while you sleep. Its job is protection: it helps protect your teeth from wear and fracture, and it can help with pain from grinding.
It isn't a cure for grinding. NHS patient information explains that there is no way of stopping the brain signals that trigger grinding in your sleep, so a guard protects your teeth while it happens rather than switching it off. NHS advice on reducing grinding includes finding ways to relax, improving your sleep, not smoking, and not drinking too much alcohol or caffeine.
Nor is a guard a cure for jaw joint problems. Grinding is linked with temporomandibular disorder (TMD), but TMD has other causes too, including stress, wear and tear of the joint, a blow to the head or face and an uneven bite, and it usually gets better without treatment. If jaw pain is your main problem, your dentist will examine your jaw and explain whether a guard is likely to help.
Is a Night Guard Right for Me?
NHS advice is to see a dentist if you grind your teeth and have tooth damage, sensitive teeth, or pain in your jaw, face or ear, or if your partner says you grind in your sleep. That is what a check-up is for. The examination looks at how your teeth meet, for signs of grinding or clenching, and at your jaw joints. Sore or sensitive teeth can have other causes, such as decay or gum disease, so they are worth having checked either way. If a guard would help, your dentist will say so and explain why; if it wouldn't, you'll hear that too.
If you mostly clench during the day, a guard worn at night won't help with that. Daytime clenching is a habit that can be broken with practice: NHS advice is to keep your jaw muscles relaxed and your teeth apart except when you are eating, and to find ways to relax.
Your GP can help with some causes of grinding, such as stress, anxiety, smoking or drinking too much. If someone has noticed that your breathing stops and starts while you sleep, or that you make gasping, snorting or choking noises, see your GP: these can be symptoms of sleep apnoea, which can be serious if it isn't diagnosed and treated. NHS advice on jaw problems is to ask for an urgent GP appointment if, for example, you are unable to eat or drink, your jaw is locking, or you have problems with your vision; if your GP practice is closed and it can't wait, phone NHS 24 on 111.
How a Night Guard Is Made and Fitted
Examination: your dentist checks your teeth, bite and jaw joints and asks about your symptoms. If a guard is recommended, it is quoted in writing before it is booked.
Recording your teeth: a mould or scan of your teeth is taken so the guard can be made to fit your mouth. Nothing is done to the teeth themselves.
Making the guard: it is made from that record to fit over your upper or lower teeth. Night guards come in harder and softer materials; your dentist will explain which type they recommend for you, and when it will be ready.
Fitting: the fit, and the way your teeth meet against the guard, are checked and adjusted if needed.
How Much Does a Night Guard Cost?
Night Guards from £200. That is our private fee, as it appears on our published price list, and whatever your dentist recommends is quoted in writing before it is booked.
For new patients the examination normally comes first: a private new patient examination is £85, including X-rays. If you are already a private patient, you can raise grinding at your routine examination (£55, including X-rays). NHS examinations are free for NHS patients of the practice, and our NHS list is open with no waiting list.
City Dental Care is a mixed NHS and private practice. If you are an NHS patient of the practice, ask about NHS arrangements for a night guard at your examination.
How to Look After Your Night Guard
A guard only protects your teeth while it is in, so wear it as your dentist advises. Softer guards can wear through quickly, while harder ones tend to last longer; if yours is looking thin or worn, mention it at your next check-up.
- Clean it every day, for example when you take it out in the morning and brush your teeth, using a toothbrush or denture brush and water
- Keep it in a firm case when it is not in your mouth, out of reach of children and pets
- Keep it away from heat, which can change its shape
- If it cracks or breaks, stop wearing it and contact us; don't try to glue it
- If it starts to feel loose, tight or uncomfortable, let us know: a guard that doesn't fit properly can cause problems with your teeth or gums
- Keep up your regular dental check-ups
Book a Check-Up
Book a check-up online, or call 0131 228 2442; we are open until 8pm Monday to Thursday and until 5pm on Friday. If you already have a check-up booked, just mention grinding when you come in.
If grinding has broken a tooth and it hurts, call us the same day: a broken tooth is one of the problems we treat as an emergency. A small chip with no pain can wait for a normal appointment. When we're closed and it can't wait, phone NHS 24 on 111.
