My dentist wants $800 for a custom night guard to prevent grinding and clenching--is it worth it?

Question

I know that I need to get an acrylic guard, and the soft ones from the drugstore won't cut it. My dentist can make one for me for $800--ouch! However, I found this site:

http://www.customnightguard.com/

which purports to be a direct-to-consumer lab who manufactures these same custom night guards for WAY less. Is this the same guard that my dentist would provide? Is there just a huge mark up that he's charging me? Thanks in advance for any advice!

Answer 1

no- mouth guards like that are extremly uncomftorble and it will make it much harder to get to sleep.

Answer 2

I'm sure there are upsides and downsides to going either way,  but here are some thoughts.

First of all,  some insurances cover mouthgards given by dentists,  if you have insurance,  you may only have to pay a small fraction of the cost.   Second,  everything looks great on the internet.   I watched this video, and it indeed looks like a great offer,  and they love to tell you how great they are,  but do they REALLY do that well ?

Also,  the success depends on how good YOU are at taking impressions of yourself.   Dental personnel study and practice this in college,  so it would depend on how much you trust your ability.

The $ 800 is not really just for the $100 mouthgard,  anymore than the $1,000 automechanic bill is for the $50 part they put in,  you are paying for their time and expertise.  Also,  the fee includes any follow up visits.   A good deal of the  time when the dentist delivers your mouthgard,  it may need a bit of adjusting to fit your bite,  you wouldn't have this with a mail order lab,  and I think by law your dentist can't work on a mouthgard he didn't order,  but you could check.

IF you think this is a legit laboratory and IF you think you can do the impressions on your own,  and IF you think it won't need adjusting, this may be a good deal.