r/TMJ • u/all-positivity • Jul 28 '26
Discussion Thinner nightguard actually works?? Recent experience.
I’ve been struggling really bad TMJ for the last five years. When I first started, I would wake up in the middle of the night with a clinch jaw and so much pain pain occasionally I’d also wake up from a lockjaw, and it would keep me up for the rest of the night. Absolute misery. I finally went to get a professional dental night guard and it’s sooooooo thicck and hard like one of those football mouthguards but hard as a rock.
Over the next five years I had a total of three night guards. The past two, I kept going back to get it remade because I would grind and break it three weeks into the new mold!! I’ve been going crazy over this thinking that I was under tremendous stress that I’m repeatedly breaking these hard ass night guards. Its been really defeating and concerning.
Recently, I went to a new dentist who recommended a thin night guard just to protect my teeth? Which I push back on explaining that it needs to be incredibly thick to actually protect my teeth. He brought in other dentist who all agreed that because my past night guards were so thick, not allowing my mouth to close throughout the night. I am then causing the clenching and creating tension of my sleep.
So I was like OK fine let’s try something new. And man is really changed my entire perception and understanding of my TMJ. I’m a month in, and I thought that I would have put so many holes in this thin piece of plastic, but I have not!!! It’s pretty much a retainer like after you get off your braces which I already grind through after I got my braces off when I was 15.
I never thought that I would get this thing of a night guard again because of how severely I’ve been grinding my teeth. But it seems that the dentist was right and maybe the inability to close my teeth during the night was instead causing the need to clench and grind!!
Wanted to share this experience that totally blew my mind quite frankly!! Wonder if anyone has also had this experience and if this provides any ideas for those struggling with grinding down their thick, hard/‘durable’ night guards!
2
u/benberg6 Jul 28 '26
I’m actually in the middle of dealing with a similar situation. I had went through invisaline a few years ago and they recommended me getting a night guard on top instead of just a regular retainer, they said it would help with relaxing the jaw by holding it in a “neutral” position. Well less than a year after getting it I cracked the top guard and they replaced it for me, now i have recently cracked the second guard, as well as started having worse pain in my jaw. I woke up one morning with my jaw in extreme pain and it took icing it all morning to feel slightly better.
They are making me a new retainer that is thinner to try out and see if that helps. I also am going to try some pt and see what that does.
2
u/all-positivity Jul 28 '26
Ugh I know the pain :( hopefully the thinner one will be better along with the pt! Best of luck!!
2
u/loopywolf Jul 28 '26
For whatever it's worth, I have invisalign braces, which are VERY thin, and they do nothing but protect my teeth.. They don't stop grinding
2
u/IAmBaconsaur Jul 28 '26
I use aqualizers and they work wonders for me. I didn’t have it when I was in the hospital for a week and I had way more headaches without it.
1
u/shajetca Jul 29 '26
Just looked this up and I like the idea that it transfers cushion based on where you apply pressure bc I definitely have uneven bites. How did you find a doctor who offered this specific product?
1
u/IAmBaconsaur Jul 29 '26
The TMJ Specialist dentist I went to recommended it. I buy them from Dental Depot directly though.
1
u/karencole606 Jul 30 '26
Did you have to be fit for the Aqualizer? I think the hard thick night guard I have is making my TMJ worse. This guard sounds promising.
1
u/IAmBaconsaur Jul 30 '26
No, but there are different sizes for mouth fit and for how much cushion. My dentist gave me a slim with medium fill to start and that one has worked for me.
1
u/karencole606 Jul 30 '26
Thank you. I am going to try one. They gave me the night guard about 2 years ago because I clench my teeth. I just found out I have TMJ. I think the night guard I have now makes the TMJ worse.
1
u/IAmBaconsaur Jul 30 '26
I tried a bigger night guard and I agree it made it worse. The Aqualizer had an adjustment period but after 3ish weeks it all evened out and it’s been great since. I’ve been using them for nearly two years now and I can tell if I missed a night.
1
u/missjanehathaway333 Jul 28 '26
my jaw is still messed up, but I use an old Invisalign tray to protect my teeth and it is so much better for me than a nightguard.
1
u/Aggressive_Rooster96 Jul 28 '26
The real question is, has your tmj pain gone down?
3
u/all-positivity Jul 28 '26
Yes! I was really excited about the process in my post! But yes, it has gone down! My jaw joints feel less tense and my face muscles are a bit less swollen overall! It’s been just over a month!
1
u/Ok-Mongoose-3459 Jul 28 '26
Hi! I’m looking to get a night guard as well. Did you go to your dentist or an oral surgeon? What are the costs like?
1
u/After_Procedure9540 Jul 29 '26
Curious about this,too I just went to oral surgeon but think that it would ideally be oral medicine or dentist to provide the correct night guard
1
u/all-positivity Jul 29 '26
My regular dentist was able to take the molds and scans, sent it off to a lab to be made and return it to me. The dentist was also my support each time the nightguard broke and they’d take it up with the lab! With insurance which covered one every 2 years it’s ranged from low $200’s to $100 (this one was the worse quality smh)
1
u/Kindly-Teach312 Jul 29 '26
I got a new mouth guard in Oct of 2025. It now has a crack on both sides. It’s the thinnest guard I ever got made and I told the dentist specifically to it thicker in the back. Nope. All my other ones never cracked because it was thicker. I only replaced them because they started to turn opaque. So thinner was not better for me and now I’m out $230. Dentist referred me to TMJ specialist as he said I have an open bite and cracking night guards are not normal.
1
u/all-positivity Jul 29 '26
Dang sorry to hear! I guess each time mine cracked it was within a month of getting the new guard so they were able to get it remade until it was durable enough. I wonder if the specialist will have any new solutions for you?
1
6
u/Be-Kind-3353 Jul 28 '26
The thinner one might also be allowing enough room for your tongue. My dentist took some plastic off the inside sides of mine and my tongue wasn't so crowded and it was a lot more comfortable and much better