Bruxism is incredibly common, affecting over 20% of U.S. adults. Causing everything from headaches to cracked molars, it’s more than just an annoying habit — it’s a genuine threat to your oral and overall health. The problem? Bruxism isn’t curable.
But that doesn’t mean you can’t manage it. Night guards prevent the teeth from grinding together and take stress off the jaw joints. Remi offers single-purchase and subscription-based night guards, but are they a good fit for you? This review covers all the details you need to decide.
Table of Contents
Night Guards: An Overview
Bruxism causes discomfort at best and permanent damage to the teeth at worst. You’ve heard night guards can help, but how exactly do they do it?
To understand it, let’s look at bruxism’s two components: clenching and grinding. Clenching is when you unconsciously bring the teeth together with great force. Grinding is when you move the jaw back and forth, dragging the teeth against each other. Both strain the teeth and jaw, but to different degrees.
Night guards can help with both, depending on the type of guard. They prevent the upper arch from directly touching the lower one. Clenching and grinding can still happen, but a guard minimizes or eliminates damage to the teeth. Second, they place 1–3 millimeters of space between the teeth, decreasing pressure on the jaw joints.
Remember that night guards won’t stop clenching and grinding; they only lessen the symptoms you experience. To get the right relief, you must select the correct night guard for your type of bruxism. The four primary types are:
- Soft Night Guards: Made from a gummy, flexible material, these guards are comfortable and about three millimeters thick. They are best for mild bruxism.
- Single-Layer Hard Night Guards: Similar to retainers, they’re made from a single layer of rigid plastic and are one millimeter thick (sometimes less). They are best for mild-to-moderate bruxism or daytime bruxism.
- Dual Laminate Night Guard: Blending the two options above, these have a hard outer layer surrounding a soft inner layer. They’re typically three millimeters thick and work well for moderate-to-severe bruxism.
- Hard Flexible Night Guard: If your bruxism is severe enough to pull apart the layers of a dual laminate guard, switching to a hard flexible one might work. Its single layer is rigid with a bit of give to reduce stress.
Remember: no matter what type of night guard you use, you will need to replace it occasionally. Some need new guards every 3–6 months while others make theirs last up to five years. Take care to inspect your guard before each wear and replace it as soon as you see issues.
Pros and Cons of Remi
Remi offers night guards that can help manage your bruxism and reduce or eliminate your symptoms. Still, they aren’t perfect. Below are Remi’s most notable advantages and disadvantages.
Pros
- Intuitive Website: Remi’s website is simple to navigate and their ordering page doesn’t cause confusion that could lead to mishaps.
- Subscription Option: If you feel confident Remi offers the right kind of night guard for you, you can reduce your cost per guard by enrolling in Club Remi — a subscription service that sends you a new guard every six months.
- Customized Thickness: Remi offers 1, 1.3, and 2-millimeter thickness options for your night guard. They also say you can use their 2-millimeter option as a retainer.
- 30-Day Guarantee: If you feel a little nervous about jumping into the world of night guards, Remi gives you some peace of mind. If anything goes wrong in the first month of wear, you can get a full refund.
Cons
- One Model: One style does not fit all when it comes to night guards. Unfortunately, Remi only offers single-layer, hard-flexible night guards, so if you need something with a little give, you’ll have to look elsewhere.
- No Quiz: Not sure which thickness is best for you? Many companies provide quizzes to help you decide, but Remi doesn’t. They include an info card in their impression kit, but it doesn’t provide much direction on how to decide.
Who Is a Good Match for Remi?
If you are interested in a subscription service or want guards for your upper and lower teeth, Remi might be a good fit for you. However, if you need flexible night guards or just want more variety in general, you are better off looking elsewhere.
Quality
If there is one must-have feature in a night guard, it’s quality. Not only is this appliance going on your teeth — which you want to protect at all costs — but you wear it while sleeping. Safety is essential, and you want to know that you’re getting a reliable product for your money. Overall, Remi represents a solid investment.
Remi was founded in 2019, giving them plenty of experience.
While that translates to just a few years in business, the direct-to-consumer custom night guard industry is young, with most companies launching in the last 2–3 years. They also make custom whitening trays, and between the two, they’ve had lots of opportunities to perfect their processes and learn from any early mistakes.
Remi uses unique customer molds to create all their professionally crafted night guards.
There aren’t many details on the qualifications of their technicians or what the stages of crafting and review are like. What’s clear is that they work in specialized labs and create custom night guards and whitening trays. This means they have a very narrow focus and area of expertise.
Remi says they use dental-quality material in their night guards.
They use FDA-approved professional-grade material — just like night guards you’d get from a dentist. It is BPA-free and specifically designed for dental products. According to the company, it delivers strong protection without sacrificing flexibility.
Remi claims their night guards work for all levels of bruxism, but you might need to customize their thickness to get the results you want. Their standard guards are one millimeter thick. The more severe your bruxism, the thicker your guard should be.
Affordability
Price is a major draw for getting night guards online instead of from your dentist. You want a high-quality product, but one that also works within your budget. Remi’s prices aren’t the lowest in the industry, but still appear pretty reasonable.
Remi has two options for purchasing their guards: pay a one-time price of $169 or opt for their $129 subscription.
Remi sends two guards at a time: one for the top arch and another for the bottom arch. They aren’t meant to be worn together. Instead, you can try both and see which you like best. Then there is the subscription. With this option, you’ll receive replacement night guards every six months — we assume two since that seems to be their standard.
If you order your set of night guards individually, you’ll pay $169 for both. Then, when you need to replace them, you’ll have to purchase another set for the same price. Choose the Remi Club, however, and you’ll pay $129 for the first set, then $49 for replacements every six months.
Either way, getting night guards from Remi is cheaper than buying them from a dentist.
Night guards from a dental office typically cost $300–$1,000 per guard. This means that you are saving hundreds with Remi, no matter how they structure their prices. While they don’t accept insurance, their products are FSA- and HSA-eligible. Just check with your account administrator before making your purchase.
Convenience
Life is busy; adding a night guard shouldn’t overly complicate it. Sure, it will add a few steps to your routine, but you don’t want anything you have to stress over. Remi offers the baseline convenience you’d find with most night guards.
Taking your own impressions can be daunting, but Remi offers a few features to make it easier.
First, they have an excellent tutorial for taking impressions with their kit. While others are more detailed, it’s always a good idea to start with a tutorial for the exact kit you’ll be using. Second, they offer two tray sizes. Not all mouths are the same, so having options makes the process more comfortable and accurate, reducing the risk of needing to complete a second kit.
Unfortunately, they don’t have a quiz that helps you determine the right guard for your needs.
This might not seem like a big deal since they only have one night guard model. However, they let you choose from three thickness levels. If you aren’t already experienced with night guards, you might not be sure of which option is best for your needs.
Their website design is intuitive and easy to use.
The one issue is that they sometimes have pop-up offers. This is annoying, but it doesn’t make the site any harder to use. Just keep in mind that if you choose their subscription service, you won’t manage it through their website; if you want to cancel, pause, or speed up your shipments, you have to contact them by email.
One area where Remi stands out is their turnaround time.
In an industry where many companies take 3–4 weeks to deliver your guards after receiving your impressions, Remi only takes about two weeks. They don’t offer rush shipping, which would be nice, but most likely, a two-week wait won’t be too hard.
Variety
Every smile is unique, and so is the way bruxism presents. One person might need a thick, gummy night guard while another might need a thin retainer-style option. Unfortunately, Remi doesn’t provide much variety in their designs.
Remi only offers one type of night guard: hard but flexible.
If a company is going to offer just one style of night guard, this is the one to go with. It blends aspects of hard and soft night guards without the risk of the layers separating, like they can with dual-laminate options. But while it might work for many people, it’s not perfect for everyone. We would prefer to see them offer at least one other style.
The only variety is in the thickness of the plastic.
Their standard thickness is one millimeter. This is typically the thinnest guard option from most companies (though there are some that offer options under a millimeter). Remi gives customers the option to increase this to either 1.3 or two millimeters. You can use this to give your jaw a bit more cushion, which is helpful.
You can choose to complement your purchase with some of their other items, giving you a more robust treatment experience.
These include their whitening kit, cleaning and whitening foam, and ultrasonic cleaning device. Each one can enhance your overall experience by making it easier to keep your night guards clean or brighten your smile. While none of them are essential, you might find you enjoy them.
Customer Experience
A quality night guard will play the biggest role in your customer experience, but there are many smaller aspects that, when combined, can profoundly affect how you view your purchase. From what we found, Remi is a bit of a mixed bag here.
The Remi guarantee falls within the industry standards, even exceeding them in some aspects.
According to Remi’s website, their 30-day guarantee covers you for the first month of use, starting the day you receive your guard — a similar timeframe to most other companies. Where they go beyond the norm is in how robust this guarantee is. Not only do they promise to remake your guards, even sending a new impression kit if necessary, but if you are so unhappy that you just want a refund, they’ll issue one. Most companies don’t offer refunds.
But you might find it difficult to get help. We reached out and got no response.
They have three ways to get in touch: phone, webchat, and email. Webchat would seem to be the most convenient, but unfortunately it’s just a bot, not a real person. If it can’t answer your questions, it prompts you to send an email. We did, but didn’t receive a response.
Best Alternatives to Remi
Not sold on Remi? Don’t worry; there are other options available. Below are three options we think are worth your consideration.
Chomper Labs
Remi’s guarantee is nice, but it doesn’t come close to Chomper Labs’. Their Perfect Fit Promise says if your guard isn’t perfect, they will remake or adjust it as many times as necessary.
They also provide a 100-Day Guarantee, which promises a full refund if you aren’t happy at any time in the first 100 days. They also offer four different types of guards and will accommodate special customization requests.
Pro Teeth Guard
If your goal is to get as close to dental-office quality without the dental-office prices, Pro Teeth Guard is a solid choice. They’re a professional lab that manufactures guards for dentists, plus sells them directly to consumers, which could save you hundreds of dollars.
They also offer a solid guarantee — if you aren’t happy in the first 60 days, they’ll refund 110% of what you paid.
Sporting Smiles
If you want variety, Sporting Smiles is the company for you. They have six different night guard models, all with functional differences, not just aesthetic ones. And they also offer options that work for daytime wear.
To top it off, they’ve been around since 2009, making them one of the oldest companies offering direct-to-consumer night guards.
Is Remi Right for You?
Remi night guards are a good option for most people thanks to their hard flexible design and customizable thickness. They might not have much variety or a highly responsive customer service team, but they’re still worth your consideration. Most likely, you’ll be happy with your experience.
If you still want to shop around, check out our comprehensive guide to the best online night guards.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I wear night guards on one arch or both?
You should only wear them on one arch at a time. Otherwise, they can force your teeth too far apart. This can feel confusing with Remi since they send you one for each arch. However, their goal is for you to try both and choose the one you like best or alternate between them — not to wear them simultaneously.
Do night guards cure TMJ?
TMJ actually stands for temporomandibular joint. The condition is TMD — temporomandibular disorders. Using night guards won’t cure TMD, and there are many potential underlying causes of these jaw joint disorders, but guards can help reduce strain, translating into fewer or lessened symptoms.
Is it bad if my teeth are sore after wearing a night guard?
Not necessarily. Some people experience soreness at first until they get used to their guards. However, if your teeth hurt because you are sucking on the guard, this could be a problem. Over time, it might change the positions of your teeth.
What are the benefits of wearing a night guard?
It varies, but can include less damage to the teeth, a reduction in bone loss, a healthier jaw joint, fewer headaches, and elimination of neck and ear pain.
Are there also day guards?
Yes, these are usually the thinnest guards on the market and made from hard plastic. The goal is to minimize the impact on speech while still offering the protection the wearer needs against bruxism.
What signs indicate I might have bruxism?
If you wake up with head, neck, or ear pain you cannot explain, you might have bruxism. Uneven wear of the teeth and cracked teeth, especially molars, could also be signs of bruxism.
Can night guards make bruxism worse?
For some people, they do. Feeling the guard can stimulate the exact actions they’re meant to protect against. If your symptoms worsen after getting a night guard, talk to your dentist. You might just need a different type.
Are there any notable benefits to getting night guards from a dental office?
The main benefit is that, if you have dental insurance and your policy covers night guards, you can potentially get yours for free. It’s a good idea to take an in-depth look at your policy before making a purchase from any source.
Can I use a sports guard instead of a night guard?
No. Sports night guards are much too thick. They’re meant to absorb shock to prevent damage to the teeth after a powerful blow to the head or body. Wearing them overnight would harm your jaw.
How thick can night guards safely be?
The thickest night guards should be is three millimeters. Anything thicker will likely cause strain on the jaw rather than taking the strain away.
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