Why Choose Us for Dental Night Guards in Vaughan?
My City Dental provides custom night guards in Vaughan made from an impression or digital scan of your teeth. Night guards (also written nightguards) protect teeth but do not stop grinding or treat sleep apnea.
A night guard helps protect against damage from:
- Teeth grinding (bruxism)
- Jaw clenching
- Tooth wear, flattening and chipping
- Cracks in fillings, crowns and other dental work
My City Dental is on Keele Street in Vaughan. What the clinic offers:
- Custom-made night guards in soft, hard and dual-laminated types
- Digital impressions (scans)
- Free consultation for your night guard assessment. Offers can change, so ask the team whether it applies to you when booking.
- Evening and weekend appointments
- Direct insurance billing
- New patients welcome
- Emergency same-day care when available
Do I Need a Night Guard? Signs of Grinding and Clenching
You may need a night guard if a dentist finds signs that you grind or clench your teeth in your sleep. Some people do not know they grind until a partner hears it or their teeth or jaw start to hurt. Watch for these signs:
- A grinding sound at night that wakes your partner
- Worn, flattened, chipped or loose teeth
- Tooth pain or sensitivity
- Tired, tight or sore jaw muscles when you wake up
- Jaw clicking, or a jaw that will not open all the way
- Pain in your jaw, face or neck, or pain that feels like an earache
- A dull morning headache at your temples, or poor sleep
Stress and anxiety are common triggers. Smoking, alcohol, caffeine, some medicines and sleep problems such as snoring and sleep apnea are linked with grinding too. The dentist checks your teeth, jaw muscles and jaw joints and asks about your sleep and habits.
Types of Night Guards: Is a Custom Guard From a Dentist Worth It?
A custom night guard from a dentist is worth it when you grind or clench hard enough to wear, chip or crack teeth. The difference is fit and follow-up: a custom guard is made to your teeth and checked against your bite.
An over-the-counter guard costs less and you can buy it today. Nobody checks how it fits.
| Custom night guard from a dentist | Over-the-counter night guard | |
|---|---|---|
| How it is made | From an impression or digital scan of your teeth | Stock size, or boil-and-bite: softened in hot water, then bitten into |
| Fit | Made to your teeth. The dentist checks your bite on it | Depends on the size or the moulding. It can feel loose or bulky |
| Materials | Soft, hard, dual-laminated or thermoplastic | Plastic, in set sizes or shaped at home |
| Getting one | An exam, an impression and time to make it | A drugstore or sporting goods store |
| Cost | Higher | Lower |
| If a tooth hurts or your bite feels off | Stop wearing it and call the clinic so the dentist can check it | Stop wearing it and see a dentist |
Ask the dentist which type suits your bite and how hard you grind.
What Does a Night Guard Do, and What Does It Not Do?
A night guard helps protect your teeth by taking the rubbing and pressure of grinding in their place. It helps shield enamel from wear that exposes the sensitive inner layers of a tooth. It also helps protect fillings and crowns.
A night guard protects your teeth. It may not stop grinding or clenching. Mayo Clinic says guards help prevent tooth damage but may not stop bruxism. For clenching during the day, Mayo Clinic suggests learning to notice it and resting your jaw.
A guard is also not a proven jaw pain treatment. A 2020 review of 52 trials did not show that splints reduced jaw joint pain overall. It found no trials that measured tooth wear in people who grind.
That is why ongoing jaw pain gets its own assessment.
A night guard does not treat sleep apnea. Grinding in sleep is linked with snoring and sleep apnea. A small 2004 University of Montreal study found that an upper guard made breathing pauses worse in some people with sleep apnea.
Tell the dentist if you snore or someone has seen you stop breathing in your sleep. Sleep apnea needs a doctor. A doctor can arrange a sleep study.
How Is a Custom Night Guard Made and Fitted?
A custom night guard is made from an exact model of your teeth, then fitted and adjusted by the dentist. Here are the steps:
- Exam. The dentist checks your teeth, jaw muscles and jaw joints. X-rays are taken only if the dentist decides you need them after your history and exam.
- Impression or scan. My City Dental takes digital impressions, where a small wand moves around your teeth and builds a 3D image on a screen. Ask the team whether your guard will be made from a scan or a traditional mould.
- Making the guard. The guard is made to that model in the type the dentist recommends. Ask the team how long yours will take.
- Fitting. The dentist checks that the guard sits snugly and that your teeth meet it evenly, then smooths any high spots. After that, the dentist recommends what comes next.
Call the clinic if your guard rocks, loosens or presses on one tooth. Book a night guard assessment or call (905) 581-2228.
How Do You Clean and Care for a Night Guard?
Clean your night guard every morning and keep it cool and dry between nights. These care steps come from the American Dental Association's mouthguard advice:
- Rinse it before and after each use, or brush it gently with a soft toothbrush.
- Clean it regularly in cool, soapy water, then rinse it well.
- Store it in a sturdy case with vents so it can dry.
- Never leave it in the sun or in hot water.
- Bring it to your dental checkups so the dentist can look it over.
When Should You Replace a Night Guard?
Replace a night guard when it shows wear, is damaged or no longer fits snugly. Holes, cracks, thin spots and a loose fit are the signs. No set date fits every guard, so the dentist checks yours at your checkups and tells you when it is due.
What Do Night Guards in Vaughan Cost?
Published prices for a custom night guard at other Toronto-area clinics run about $300 to $600. Your own cost comes in a written estimate after an exam.
The type of guard, its material, the exam and any X-rays the dentist decides you need all move the figure. A store-bought guard costs far less, with the fit trade-offs shown in the table above.
The Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP) does not cover night guards: its dental benefits guide lists bruxism appliances (night guards) as outside CDCP coverage. My City Dental accepts CDCP for other services, where coverage depends on the service and your eligibility and some services need preauthorization.
When Does Jaw Pain Need More Than a Night Guard?
Jaw pain lasting more than a few days needs a jaw assessment and not only a guard. So does a jaw that locks or clicking with pain.
Jaw and ear pain can come from the jaw joints, a damaged tooth, an infection or other health problems. My City Dental offers a TMD and jaw pain assessment to look for the cause.
If grinding cracks or breaks a tooth, call the clinic. My City Dental offers emergency same-day care when available.
Call 911 or go to the nearest hospital emergency department if you have trouble breathing or swallowing, swelling that spreads toward your eye or neck, fever with facial swelling, or bleeding that will not stop.
Night Guard Questions
Is there a downside to wearing a night guard?
The main downsides of a night guard are the cost and a period of getting used to it.
In one Swedish study of splint wearers, people noticed more or less saliva and a feeling of tension in their teeth. Only a few found the splint uncomfortable. If a tooth aches or your bite feels off when you take the guard out, stop wearing it and call the clinic. Call too if a side effect does not settle.
Does insurance cover a night guard from the dentist?
Insurance coverage for a night guard depends on your private dental plan, so check its coverage and limits before treatment.
My City Dental offers direct insurance billing. Your insurer can give you a predetermination, which is an estimate of what the plan may pay and not a promise. The Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP) does not cover night guards.
Can I use a sports mouthguard as a night guard?
A sports mouthguard is not designed to be a night guard. A sports guard is built to cushion a blow to the face during play. A night guard is made to sit against your bite through hours of sleep.
Ask the dentist before you use one guard for both jobs. Our sports mouthguards page covers guards for games and practice.