Best Night Guard For Missing Teeth

April 22, 2021 · Ashely Notarmaso

The search for the perfect night guard when you have imperfect teeth.

If you’re missing one or more teeth and need to wear a custom night guard, you may already know the struggles of finding a well fitting night guard.

What type of night guard is best for missing teeth?

Should I Choose a Custom Dental Guard or Store Bought?

Custom fit night guards fit imperfect dental anatomy far better than preformed OTC night guard types that are available at local drugstores and big chains.

But even purchasing a custom night guard can sometimes bring on some troubles of its own if the technician is not accustomed to making mouth guards with missing teeth.

Making a great fitting night guard or mouth guard for missing teeth takes time, patience, and a bit of skill.

Making Mouth Guards for Missing Teeth:

How To Create a Great Fitting Night Guard

1. Take a great dental impression

The fit of any custom night guard or mouth guard begins with a clear and accurate dental impression. We make it easy by supplying you with everything you need including various tray sizes, extra dental putty, written instructions as well as a how to video!

2. Prepping the stone cast of the teeth

Once a stone cast of the dental anatomy has been poured, the next step is for our lab to prep the model correctly using a special material to fill in the gaps. This step ensures the guard fits correctly.

3. Use the right machine

Many night guards are made using a simple vacuum forming machine, a.k.a. the “suck down”.

This machine is a great step up from any mass produced (one size fits all) or boil & bite types. However, it’s not as efficient as a Drufomat or Biostar. These machines use high pressure and heat + computerized technology to achieve an extremely precise fit.

You need this precision when constructing mouth guards for those with missing teeth, because the material has to form correctly around all those nooks and crannies.

Because a mouth with missing teeth has so many deep variations in anatomy, it is very important to use this top level machine to get a great fit. Not to mention this is the only type of machine that can combine multiple layers to make your guard as thick or thin as you need.

Q: What type of machine does Sentinel use?

For all of our products we use the Drufomat Scan Pressure machine. Attached to an air compressor, this machine incorporates high pressure, high heat and computer technology that is specific to each type of material used.

4. Experienced Technician

The construction of a night guard with missing teeth can be difficult for an unfamiliar technician. Hard night guards can be particularly challenging because of the non-flexible, rigid material.

The stiff, non-flexible material used for the hard night guard can be challenging for an unfamiliar technician (especially when dealing with missing teeth).

Will a soft night guard fit better than a hard night guard?

A soft, flexible night guard tends to rate higher in comfort over the hard types. However, if fabricated properly, a hard night guard should snap into place and fit like a glove. A hard night guard may take a few days to get used to wearing but many of our customers love the durability of this material.

The Solution

Making great mouth guards & night guards is a craft that one gets better and better at over time. Sentinel Mouth Guards is a lab that specializes in mouth guard, night guard & whitening tray fabrication.

As a customer, your job to ensure you get the best fitting night guard is to take a clear, accurate dental impression. Learn more about how to take your own dental impression here. It’s easy!

Have more questions or want to chat? Visit our help center today!