Do you grind and clench your teeth at night? If so, you’re not alone; over 20% of U.S. adults do at least occasionally. But no matter the frequency, it can cause a variety of issues, including headaches, jaw disorders, and ear pain.
We believe you deserve better than that — and mail-order night guards (also called mouth guards) can give you relief from bruxism. Of course, not all providers are created equal. That’s why we searched the web, dug through testimonials, and came up with the top 5 best online night guards!
Table of Contents
#1: Chomper Labs
All of the companies on our list stand behind their products, but Chomper Labs goes a bit further than most. This starts with their Perfect Fit Promise. According to their website, if your night guard doesn’t fit perfectly, they’ll keep adjusting or remaking it until it does, at no cost to you. They add to this their 100 Day Guarantee — if you aren’t happy within 100 days, you get a full refund — and their Grind-Free Warranty that replaces broken night guards within the first six months (if they break specifically due to clenching and grinding).
You get to choose from four different styles, each made from different materials and with varying thickness. If you are unsure which you need, you can use their helpful quiz to zero in on your ideal guard. And since they are a full-service dental lab, if you have a special customization request (for example, a thickness they don’t list on their order page), they can still make it happen.
Chomper Labs Advantages
- Solid Guarantees: With two guarantees and a warranty protecting you, you can go into your Chomper Labs purchase feeling confident. And their guarantees and warranty exceed many of their peers.
- Full Customization: While you have limited customization options on their order page, you can contact them directly to make the changes you need to feel fully comfortable with your night guard.
- Affordable Changes: Most companies will charge you for a new night guard if you make the wrong choices initially. Chomper Labs will provide a new one for just $40.
- Professional Dental Lab: Chomper Labs is a full professional dental lab. They work with both doctors and consumers and use identical materials and standards with both sets of clients.
Chomper Labs Disadvantages
- Doesn’t Directly Accept Insurance: While they make it easy to get the documentation you need for insurance reimbursement, they won’t work with your provider directly.
- Complaints About Fit: In their online reviews, a handful of customers have complained about the fit of their night guards. While the company works to make it right, it’s still worth considering.
#2: Pro Teeth Guard
Pro Teeth Guard is also a professional dental lab that works with dentists in addition to selling directly to consumers; this means you get dental-office quality without dental-office prices.
Second, they have four different models, including a day guard — something many providers don’t offer. However, their most standout feature is their guarantee. If you aren’t completely satisfied with your night guard at the end of 60 days, they’ll refund you 110% of the cost. No other company pays you when their product falls short.
Pro Teeth Guard Advantages
- Functional Differences: While some companies have primarily aesthetic differences between their night guard models, Pro Teeth Guard designs each model to treat a specific condition. This makes it easier to find the perfect fit for you.
- Comprehensive Guarantee: If you aren’t happy, you don’t just get your money back: you get 10% more. This demonstrates Pro Night Guard’s confidence in their products and helps give you peace of mind.
- Professional Quality: While some companies only sell direct-to-consumer guards, Pro Teeth Guard also partners with dental practices. They use the same materials and processes with both arms of their company, giving you “pro” products.
- Night Guard Quiz: If you aren’t experienced with night guards, it can be hard to figure out which thickness and firmness options are right for you. Pro Teeth Guard features a quiz that helps you find the perfect fit.
Pro Teeth Guard Disadvantages
- The Price: At $159–$199 per guard, Pro Teeth Guard has some of the highest prices in the direct-to-consumer night guard market. They’re only $10–$30 more than their competitors, but sometimes a small savings makes a big difference.
- No Subscribe and Save: While this is likely because their guards are professional quality and can last years, it is disappointing not to have a subscription option, even though they only send new guards once a year.
#3: Sporting Smiles
Sporting Smiles offers the most variety of any night guard company. First, they have six different models of night guards, all of them with functional differences, not just aesthetic ones. And one of those options works for both day and night wear. On top of this, they sell other dental products that might interest you, including customized whitening trays, retainers, and sports mouth guards — and they can use the same molds for all of them.
Like Pro Teeth Guard, they do not have a subscribe and save option. However, they make up for this a bit with their discounts on reorders — up to 35% off subsequent night guards. Each time you order, they keep your molds on file for another year and they can digitize them, so you may never need to take new ones again. Founded in 2009, they’re also one of the oldest direct-to-consumer producers.
Sporting Smiles Advantages
- Maximum Variety: Sporting Smiles has six different night guard models — more than any other provider we’ve reviewed. Plus, they offer other dental products you can purchase for comprehensive smile care.
- Low Prices: While some subscription-based services break down to have a lower price per night guard, Sporting Smiles offers the lowest prices for a single purchase that we’ve found.
- Solid Discounts for Reorders: When you order new night guards, you can save as much as 35% off the list price. This helps to bring the cost per guard more in line with their subscribe-and-save competitors.
- Rush Option: If you need your night guard in a hurry, you can pay $35 for rush production and shipping. You’ll receive your night guard in about 15 days instead of around 30 with standard processing.
Sporting Smiles Disadvantages
- Weaker Refund Policy: Sporting Smiles has a warranty, but the language they use to describe it indicates that they’ll work to make things right, remaking your night guards if necessary. However, they don’t mention refunds. Their 100% satisfaction guarantee does, but emphasizes remakes over refunds.
- Brief Warranty: Most companies offer a minimum 60-day warranty, with some extending up to six months. Sporting Smiles only offers a 30-day warranty.
#4: ClearClub
ClearClub is a subscription-based night guard service that also gives you the option to make a one-time purchase. You can set the frequency of your subscription based on your unique needs, choosing from three-, four-, or six-month intervals.
ClearClub stands out above the competition thanks to their highly affordable prices and variety — they offer five types of night guards and multiple colors to choose from. All their materials are FDA approved, non-allergenic, latex-free, and BPA-free, and they back their guards with a 60-day 100% satisfaction guarantee.
ClearClub Advantages
- Lowest Subscription-Based Price: While their one-time purchase option is pretty average, their subscription is the most affordable on the market — though Cheeky is cheaper when you select the more expensive models.
- Aesthetic Variety: Most night guards look like clear aligners, making them discreet. But who needs discretion at home? ClearClub offers night guards in different patterns and colors, letting you have some fun with your oral health.
- Quality Customer Service: No company is perfect, and sometimes, things can go wrong. According to existing customers, ClearClub offers stellar customer service that is responsive, informed, and helpful.
- Control Over Frequency: Not every subscription-based service lets you decide how often you’ll receive your products. ClearClub lets you set the interval to three, four, or six months and gives you the option to skip shipments when necessary.
ClearClub Disadvantages
- Retaking Impressions: ClearClub keeps impressions on file — but only if you have an active subscription. If you don’t, each time you need to reorder your guards, you’ll need to complete another impression kit.
- Functional Variety: While they have five different night guards to choose from, functionally, they are similar, and sometimes identical, besides their colors and patterns.
#5: Cheeky
Cheeky is another subscription-based service that also offers one-time buys. Their subscription pricing breaks down to just $54.75 per night guard. That’s one of the lowest prices in the industry, but they make it even better by accepting insurance and making it easy to use your HSA and FSA funds to cover the cost.
They offer two different models of night guards: hard and soft. If you choose the soft option, you set the thickness to either 1.5, 2, or 3 millimeters. The hard night guard comes in one thickness: 0.76 millimeters. This makes it one of the thinnest night guards on the market and suitable for daytime wear as well.
Cheeky Advantages
- Accepts Insurance: While most online night guard companies are HSA and FSA eligible, Cheeky is the only one we found that states they work directly with insurance companies.
- Solid Money-Back Guarantee: While they don’t offer a lot of details, they do state that they have a 100% money-back guarantee. This gives you some peace of mind when making your purchase.
- Offers Discounts on Additional Products: If you buy Cheeky guards, you get 20% off other items purchased at the same time. Choose from their whitening kit, electric toothbrush, and water flosser.
- Customization: When you choose the soft night guard, you can set the thickness based on the severity of your grinding and clenching.
Cheeky Disadvantages
- Replacement Every Three Months: While you can change the frequency, Cheeky pushes replacing your night guards every three months, which is sooner than most people need.
- Just Two Models: Most companies offer 3–4 different night guard models, but Cheeky has just two. And if you get the hard night guard, you can’t even customize its thickness.
How Should I Evaluate My Options?
With so many companies to choose from, it’s hard to know which is the right one for you. Should you go for the lowest price, the best guarantees, or maybe stick to labs that work with dentists too? While it is up to you which features matter most for your smile, we suggest keeping the following criteria in mind while selecting a provider.
Quality
The top feature you want in a night guard — or any dental appliance — is quality. You need to know that it will hold up for the right amount of time and offer the protection you need. When assessing night guard quality, think about things like the design, cut, average lifespan, durability of materials, and the level of clenching and grinding it can withstand.
Affordability
For most people, price is the biggest draw for online options. To assess it, break down subscription plans by their cost per night guard, look at discounts from providers that only offer a single purchase, see if there are any current coupon codes, and check to see if they work with insurance providers or help make reimbursement easier for you.
Convenience
Cost is the main advantage that online night guards have over their in-office counterparts, but coming in second is convenience. You get to skip the office visits, which is a big benefit for many. However, some at-home night guard companies are more convenient than others. Consider how easy it is to select the right guard, the impression process, how long it takes to get your guard, and how long impressions stay on file.
Variety
Each person is unique, and so are their night guard needs. You might require a thin but hard guard that you can wear day and night. Or your bruxism might be better suited to a thicker but flexible guard. Then there are things like colors and patterns that don’t improve function but certainly make wearing a night guard more enjoyable.
Customer Experience
While you are flying solo to a degree with remote night guards, you aren’t completely alone. The customer support team should have your back. Look at what customers have to say about their availability and helpfulness, plus check their guarantees, warranties, and refund policies.
Final Thoughts
If you choose any of the five online night guard options on this list, we think you’re likely be happy with your appliance and the results it delivers for your bruxism. But before you just run with our number-one option, be sure to take time to think over your options and select the best online night guard for your needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
How should a bite guard fit?
Your night guard should be tight enough that you do not need to bite or suck it into place. At the same time, it shouldn’t be so tight it causes pain or moves your teeth. Keep in mind that discomfort is normal for the first two weeks and not a sign of a poorly made guard.
Do I need to wear night guards on my upper and lower teeth?
Some people prefer to wear two thinner guards rather than one thicker guard. However, this is not necessary; a single guard should offer the protection you need. If you pair two thick guards together, you can actually cause damage to the jaw joint.
How often do I need to clean my night guard?
You need to rinse it with mouthwash each time you put it in and remove it. You should give it a deeper clean using a soft-bristled toothbrush at least once a week as well.
What can wearing a night guard do for me?
Night guards help keep the teeth from touching, stopping damage from clenching and grinding while also reducing stress on the jaw joints. This can alleviate pain, keep your teeth healthy, and prevent things like gum disease.
Are night guards really just for nighttime?
Not necessarily. However, you want those that you wear during the day to be thin enough that they don’t impact your speech. Look for hard, thin guards for daytime wear.
How can I know if I have bruxism?
You’ll need to see a dentist for an official diagnosis. However, the following symptoms can be indicators:
- Chronic pain in the face, jaw, neck, shoulders, or ears.
- Popping sounds in the jaw joint.
- Frequent headaches.
- Sore muscles in the face, neck, and jaw.
- Daytime fatigue.
What exactly causes bruxism?
There is no specific cause of bruxism. Many people who have it either have physical pain, anxiety, or both. Some people may have sensory processing disorders and clenching and grinding their teeth helps them deal with it.
Could I use a sports mouth guard for my bruxism?
No. Sports mouth guards are thicker than night guards and if you wear them too often, it can stress the jaw joints, actually making bruxism worse.
Could using a night guard make my bruxism worse?
While most people who use night guards find that they help with bruxism, some find that they make things much worse. This happens because the body knows there is something on the teeth and responds by clenching and grinding even more. The only way to know how you will respond is to give night guards a shot.
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