Night Guards for Teeth Grinding

What's Actually Happening — And Why It Matters

If you've woken up with a sore jaw, been told by a partner that you grind your teeth at night, or had a dentist point out wear patterns you didn't notice yourself — you're already ahead of most people. Bruxism, the clinical term for teeth grinding and clenching, tends to work quietly for years before it becomes obvious. By the time a tooth cracks or a restoration fails, the damage has usually been building for a long time.

A custom night guard doesn't stop the grinding — it intercepts it. By placing a precisely fitted barrier between your upper and lower teeth, it absorbs and distributes the forces that would otherwise concentrate on your enamel, restorations, and jaw joints. The difference between a custom guard and a one-size-fits-all drugstore version isn't subtle. A guard that doesn't fit your specific bite can actually shift your teeth or jaw over time, creating new problems in the process of solving an old one.

At Aultman Dental Leeds, we start where we always start: with a thorough look at what's actually going on. That means evaluating your bite, examining your existing wear patterns, and using our digital imaging technology to understand the full picture before we make any recommendations. If a night guard is the right answer, we take precise impressions or digital scans to fabricate one that fits your mouth — not a general approximation of it.

The process is straightforward. We gather the records we need at your visit, send them to the lab, and fit the finished guard once it's back. Most patients are surprised by how unobtrusive a well-made guard feels. It's not a bulky athletic mouthpiece — it's a thin, durable appliance built to your exact specifications.

If you've been told you grind your teeth, or if you're noticing symptoms you can't explain, that's worth a real conversation — not a guess and a generic product off a shelf.