How to Order a Night Guard Using Your .STL File (Step-by-Step Guide)
Skip the impression kit and get a precision-fit night guard using your digital dental scan.
If you already have a digital dental scan, ordering a custom night guard is faster, cleaner, and more accurate than ever.
Sentinel Mouthguards allows customers to upload their .STL file directly at checkout, eliminating the need for traditional impression kits and allowing our lab to begin production immediately using your existing digital scan.
This step-by-step guide walks you through exactly how to order a custom night guard using your .STL file — what to upload, what to expect, and how your scan becomes a perfectly fitting guard.
This article is part of Sentinel Mouthguards’
Custom Night Guards From Digital Scans (.STL Files): The Complete Guide
✅ What You’ll Need Before You Start
Before placing your order, make sure you have:
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A digital dental scan saved as an .STL file
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A scan taken within the last 2–3 years
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A clear scan of the upper arch, lower arch, or both
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A file generated from a compatible intraoral scanner
Most modern scanners (including iTero, Medit, Trios, Primescan, Planmeca, and others) produce .STL files suitable for night guard fabrication.
If you’re unsure whether your file is usable, our lab reviews every scan before production begins.
If you’re deciding between a digital scan and a traditional impression, we break down the differences in our guide on impression vs digital scan for custom night guards.
🛒 Step 1: Choose Your Custom Night Guard
Start by selecting the night guard that best fits your needs, such as:
You’ll also choose:
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Upper or lower arch
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Thickness (if applicable)
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Any notes you’d like our lab to consider
Once selected, proceed to checkout.
📤 Step 2: Upload Your .STL File at Checkout
At checkout, you’ll see a secure file upload field for digital dental scans.
To upload your scan:
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Select your .STL file from your device
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Upload upper and lower arches if available
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If you have multiple files, upload each one separately
There’s no need to compress or rename your file — our system accepts standard .STL formats.
🧠 Do I Need a Bite Registration?
No. A separate bite registration is not required.
Digital intraoral scans capture your bite relationship accurately enough for our lab to design your custom night guard without an additional bite scan.
🔍 Step 3: Lab Review of Your Digital Scan
Once your order is placed and your file is uploaded, our lab team reviews your scan to confirm:
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Full tooth coverage (including molars)
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Clear margins and anatomy
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Proper arch alignment
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Overall scan quality
If anything is missing or unclear, we’ll reach out before moving forward. No guesswork, no surprises.
🖥️ Step 4: Digital Design & 3D Workflow
After approval, your scan is imported into professional dental CAD software where your night guard is:
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Digitally designed to your exact tooth anatomy
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Balanced to your natural bite
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Adjusted for comfort, retention, and thickness
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Optimized for durability and fit
This digital process allows for sub-millimeter precision that traditional impressions simply can’t match.
You can learn more about how Sentinel designs and 3D prints every custom night guard inside our lab.
🦷 Step 5: Fabrication & Finishing
Depending on the type of guard you selected, your custom appliance is:
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3D printed
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Thermoformed over a printed model
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Carefully trimmed, polished, and finished by hand
Every edge is smoothed, and every guard is checked for comfort before shipping.
📦 Step 6: Shipping Your Custom Night Guard
Once complete, your night guard ships directly to you — no impression kit turnaround, no delays.
Because production begins immediately after scan approval, digital-scan orders often move faster than traditional impression-based orders.
⭐ Why Ordering With an .STL File Is the Best Option
Customers who use digital scans often experience:
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More precise fit
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Fewer adjustments
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Faster turnaround times
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Easier reorders in the future
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No messy impression materials
Your digital scan can also be stored securely for future orders, making replacements quick and effortless.
⚠️ Tips for Best Results
For the smoothest experience and best possible fit:
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Use a digital scan that reflects your current dental anatomy (ideally taken within the last few years)
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Make sure the scan fully captures all teeth, including the back molars
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Upload the original .STL file (not screenshots, photos, or PDFs)
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If you’ve had any dental work since the scan—such as fillings, crowns, implants, orthodontic treatment, or extractions—an updated scan will be needed
If you’re ever unsure whether your scan is still a good match, our team is always happy to review it and guide you.
💚 Final Thoughts
Ordering a night guard using your .STL file is the most accurate, efficient, and modern way to protect your teeth. By uploading your digital scan at checkout, you skip impressions entirely and move straight into a precision-driven workflow designed for comfort and long-term wear.
If you already have a digital scan, you’re just a few clicks away from a custom night guard that fits exactly the way it should.