Night Guards (Teeth Grinding)

Bruxism — grinding or clenching the teeth, most often during sleep — is remarkably common, and many people have no idea they do it. The forces involved can be several times higher than normal chewing, which is why night-time grinding wears enamel, chips edges, cracks fillings and crowns, and leaves some people waking with jaw ache or dull temple headaches. A custom night guard, made at our Wimpole Street practice, helps absorb and redistribute those forces while you sleep.

Signs that may suggest you grind include flattened or shortened front teeth, chipped edges, unexplained cracks in fillings, sensitivity, morning jaw stiffness or ache, temple headaches on waking, and a partner hearing grinding at night. None of these is conclusive on its own — wear has several causes — but together they form a pattern your dentist can recognise quickly at examination.

Why do people grind? Contributing factors include stress and anxiety, sleep disturbances, certain medications, caffeine and alcohol close to bedtime, and simple habit. Because the causes are often outside dentistry’s reach, the practical goal is protection: we cannot reliably stop the grinding, but we can stop it damaging your teeth. That honest framing matters — a night guard manages the consequences rather than curing the habit.

Night guards suit anyone with evidence of active grinding, and they are particularly worthwhile if you have invested in cosmetic or restorative work. If you have had bonding, veneers, crowns or completed aligner treatment, a guard is a cost-effective insurance policy for that investment — it is far cheaper to replace a worn guard than a fractured veneer. Suitability is confirmed at an in-person consultation with a GDC-registered dentist.

The process takes two visits at our Marylebone practice. At the first, we examine your teeth and jaw muscles, note the wear pattern, and take precise impressions or a digital scan of your teeth together with a bite record. A dental laboratory then constructs your guard to fit your teeth exactly. At the second visit, we fit the guard, adjust the biting surface so it meets evenly, and check comfort and retention.

A custom night guard costs £595, confirmed in a written, itemised quote. That fee covers the records, laboratory construction, fitting and adjustment. Cost considerations over time include eventual replacement — guards are consumable by design, wearing so your teeth do not — and occasional re-adjustment if your bite changes after new dental work.

You may wonder about cheaper alternatives. Pharmacy boil-and-bite guards are bulky, poorly retained and often abandoned within weeks; some people find they encourage clenching rather than reduce it. Soft guards can suffer the same problem. Where jaw pain and TMD symptoms dominate rather than tooth wear, a Michigan splint — a more comprehensively adjusted appliance — may be the better recommendation, and we will tell you if that applies to you.

Limitations are worth stating plainly. A night guard protects teeth while it is worn; it does not stop the underlying habit, and it only works if it is comfortable enough to wear consistently — which is precisely the argument for a well-made custom fit. Some people take a week or two to adapt to sleeping with it. Guards gradually wear and eventually need replacing, and individual experiences vary.

Aftercare is simple: rinse and brush the guard with cool water and a soft brush each morning, store it dry in its case, keep it away from heat and pets, and bring it to your routine check-ups. We check its fit and wear at each visit — visible wear facets on the guard are quiet proof it is doing its job instead of your enamel.

If grinding continues unprotected, the typical long-term pattern is cumulative rather than sudden: enamel gradually flattens, biting edges chip, sensitivity can increase as the harder outer layer thins, and existing fillings and crowns face repeated heavy loads that may shorten their lifespan. Progression varies enormously between individuals — some grinders show little change over decades, others wear noticeably within years — which is why we photograph and monitor wear at check-ups rather than making blanket predictions. Where measurable wear is progressing, that evidence is what turns a maybe into a clear recommendation.

Alongside the guard, small habit changes can reduce the load. Cutting caffeine and alcohol in the hours before bed, winding down screens, and consciously checking during the day that your teeth are apart — lips together, teeth apart is the ideal resting posture — all help some patients. Daytime clenching is surprisingly common at desks and in traffic; a discreet reminder, such as a note on your monitor, sounds trivial but many patients find it genuinely effective at breaking the loop.

The fitting appointment is short and comfortable. We seat the guard, check it clips positively over the teeth without rocking, then mark and adjust the biting surface with articulating paper until it meets your opposing teeth evenly — that even contact is what makes a custom guard pleasant to wear. We also show you how to insert and remove it without strain, and how to spot the wear facets that will develop as it does its job. A quick review can be arranged if anything needs refining once you have slept with it for a couple of weeks.

Getting your guard made is easy to arrange around a London working week: the practice is on Wimpole Street in Marylebone, a short walk from Bond Street, Oxford Circus and Regent’s Park underground stations, and both visits are brief. Many patients pair the fitting with a routine check-up or hygiene visit to save a journey.

Patients choose our central London practice, near Harley Street, for night guards because fit and adjustment are what separate a guard that gets worn from one that lives in a drawer. At our Wimpole Street practice your guard is made from precise records, adjusted to your bite at the chair, and reviewed over time — a small, sensible investment in protecting your teeth in London’s most experienced dental district.