“Yesterday, I received the Slim-Comfort Dental Guard. I used it last night, and it was wonderful! Just as advertised, it kept my mouth relaxed, prevented clamping, and was completely comfortable. I am a very happy customer! Thanks for all your help.”
L. Harris
Tulsa, OK
We are always glad to hear our product used effectively. If you have any personal stories to share, please feel free to contact us at sales@splintek.com
I recently stumbled across this review from someone in the UK. I know it’s kind of dated but she brings up some good issues to address.
Her review is here:
http://www.kissandmakeup.tv/2009/04/product_review_97.html
She says the following, “…after a week or so of wearing the splint I began to find that the band was irritating my lower gum and my boyfriend relayed that he saw me take the guard out during sleep. I cannot be sure whether this was due to my lack of ability in fitting the guard properly or whether it was simply repeated wear that had led to the raw feeling, however, I began wearing the guard less and less.”
For instances where gum irritation may occur because of the thermal band, we usually recommend creating a barrier between your gums and the band using oral agents like Anbesol or Carmex.
It could also be that some people have especially small mouths and the Dura-Comfort and Secure-Comfort aren’t going to fit properly. For those people we usually recommend the Slim-Comfort in the green box:
We also recommend wearing the product for a few nights just to get accustomed to it. That may be hard advice to follow, but there’s always an adjustment period regarding personal products.
“Thirty-five million Americans are bothered by the discomfort of temporomandibular joint and muscle disorders(TMJDs),also called “TMJ.” This group of poorly understood conditions causes pain and limited movement of the jaw.”
Read more here:
http://www.newschannel5.com/Global/story.asp?S=11867539
They also offer some tips to alleviate the jaw pain that is associated with TMJ, including eating soft foods, not chewing gum, and applying a compress.
“There is a high prevalence of nocturnal teeth grinding, or bruxism, in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), particularly in Caucasians.”
Read more on the link between sleep apnea and bruxism here:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102171213.htm
“I have had my SleepRight dental guard for months and am VERY satisfied. It works like a charm. I have spent hundreds at my dentist for the kind they make, and it cannot be compared to the SleepRight. Thank you so much for this product.”
- L. Bryar
“Bisphenol A has been most highly publicized for it’s presence in clear and colored transparent polycarbonate plastic, because of the popularity of using this plastic for water bottles. Bisphenol A leaches from polycarbonate as the plastic ages. The rate of degradation depends on how the plastic is used. If exposed to acid or alkaline solutions, or heated, the rate of leaching increases.”
Read more here:
http://dld123.com/q&a/index.php?cid=1614
A few of the commentators recommended the SleepRight dental guard because it’s BPA-free.
“Tooth grinding causes many dental problems if you’re part of the 25 percent of the population that experiences it. Most people with bruxism (tooth gnashing) don’t exhibit any immediate symptoms but show wear on their teeth and gum line that indicates the problem. Only 5 percent display painful symptoms, which vary from extreme headaches to ear, tooth or jaw pain. Many dentists recommend night guards for teeth grinding.”
Read more here:
http://www.ehow.com/about_4613048_night-guard-teeth-grinding.html
By: Chris Woolston
Oct. 19th, 2009
http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-he-skeptic19-2009oct19,0,6757223.story
Sure, snorers can be loud. But for really cringe-worthy nighttime noise, it’s hard to beat a dedicated grinder. With jaw muscles clenched tight — perhaps because of stress or misaligned teeth — a grinder can create a crunching sound reminiscent of two icebergs passing in the night. Some people grind with a force of nearly 1,000 pounds per square inch, enough to crack teeth and obliterate fillings.
Just about everyone clenches and grinds at least a little during sleep, and up to 20% of us do it often or vigorously enough to notice the results, including worn-down teeth, jaw pain, headaches and exasperated bed partners.
Dentists and orthodontists have tried many approaches to stop severe grinding, also known as bruxism. Biofeedback, hypnotherapy, sedatives, jaw exercises and other approaches seem to be mildly helpful at best.
Even if you can’t stop grinding, you can try protecting your teeth with the help of a night guard. In theory, a good-fitting guard that keeps your teeth from touching during the night should stop the wear-and-tear.
For $400 to $800 or so, your dentist can set you up with a rigid, custom-fitted night guard made out of a hard acrylic resin. But there’s a cheaper option: Soft, plastic night guards that you fit yourself at home. You can buy a package of two DenTek Custom Comfort Nightguards for about $25. The Doctor’s NightGuard sells for around $20 apiece. A SleepRight Dura-Comfort dental guard from Splintek costs about $70.
Both the Custom Comfort and Doctor’s night guards use boil-and-bite fitting. Users drop a U-shaped mold into boiling water, quickly remove it and bite firmly into the hot plastic to create an impression of their teeth. The SleepRight Dura-Comfort guard, which doesn’t need to be boiled, has soft, adjustable bite pads that fit between the upper and lower molars.
Users are instructed to wear their night guards every night and check them regularly for wear. The fitting instructions for the Custom Comfort say it should last an average of six months. According to their respective websites, the Doctor’s NightGuard will last six months to one year with normal wear, and the SleepRight Dura-Comfort guard can supposedly last “indefinitely” but only if users can teach themselves not to clench and grind at night. Splintek offers replacements on guards that wear out before six months.
The claims
The DenTek website says the Custom Comfort Nightguard offers “custom-fit protection” that will help keep teeth from “cracking, wearing or breaking.” The Doctor’s NightGuard site says the guard “is a simple and affordable solution for protecting your teeth and jaw from the detrimental effects of nighttime teeth grinding.” The Splintek site says the “state-of-the-art technology” in the SleepRight guard “is specifically designed to protect teeth from bruxism.”
The bottom line
“Any mouth guard is going to protect the tops of teeth,” says Dr. Gary Klasser, an assistant professor in the Department of Oral Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Although high-quality bruxism studies are few and far between, he says, “that’s one thing we know almost 100% for sure.”
Store-bought guards will be better than nothing, Klasser says, but they fall short of more expensive, professionally fitted rigid guards. Durability is one issue. While the soft, store-bought models claim to last six months or more, really committed grinders can often break through them faster than that, he says. A rigid guard can last for several years. And, he adds, no over-the counter guard can match a dentist’s model for fit. “It’s the difference between taking an Armani suit to a tailor and going to Wal-Mart and getting something off the rack.”
A few studies suggest that soft mouth guards actually encourage grinders to chomp down even harder than usual, Klasser says. “The brain thinks it’s a chew toy.”
As long as the mouth guard stays intact, the teeth will be protected no matter how hard a person clenches, says Dr. Jeffrey Okeson, chairman of the department of oral health science at the University of Kentucky College of Dentistry in Lexington. But complications of bruxism can go beyond worn-down teeth, he adds.
Some grinders wake up with sore jaw muscles, “as if they’d been chewing on a giant wad of bubble gum for four hours,” Okeson explains. If a soft night guard encourages them to clamp down extra hard, the pain could be more intense, he says. So, he says, while soft guards may be worth trying, users should definitely talk to their dentist if they notice new pain or clicking in their jaws.
The Healthy Skeptic has chewed through three over-the-counter guards in the last couple of years. They were all a little uncomfortable — especially for the first few nights — and inserting the steaming hot mold into my mouth was definitely not the high point of my day. But I feel like the guards protect my teeth, and Mrs. Skeptic no longer complains about the sounds of crushed gravel in the night.
My dentist has offered to fit me with a rigid guard. But as long as my jaws don’t feel sore in the morning, I think I’ll stick with my chew toys.
copyright 2009 The Los Angeles Times
According to the Mayo Clinic.com another term for bruxism is gnashing. Bruxism can happen subconsciously and is different from clenching and grinding. “Sleep Bruxism” occurs more often in children while adults tend to grind both day and night. This condition may not require treatment for some but for some it can lead to headaches, jaw disorders, damage to the teeth, etc. The problem is that most people are unaware they have Bruxism until complications occur.
The following are symptoms of Bruxism:
– clenching or grinding; could be loud enough to hear
– wearing of tooth enamel, sensitivity, or exposure of the inside of the tooth
– jaw pain, headaches, chronic facial pain or earaches
– chewing on the inside of the cheeks
Source: http://www.mayclinic.com/health/bruxism/DS00337
The SleepRight®’s articulating bitepads, made of a resilient hybrid material, slip comfortably between your teeth and are designed to re-establish your natural freeway space. While the SleepRight® protects teeth from clenching and grinding, we emphasize and strongly encourage our customers to concentrate on, “lips together, teeth apart” to initiate the muscle relaxation learning process.
When I first purchased the teeth grinding guard, I had been grinding my teeth to the point where they would break. I can’t imagine sleeping without the SleepRight mouth guard right now. This has allowed me to sleep restfully and wake up in the morning without pain from teeth grinding. Thank you also for your insight on how to use the mouth guard and how to exercise my jaw to become aware of the teeth grinding. It isn’t very often that a company takes the time to assist their customers with questions or concerns they may have. As a result, you’ve got one more loyal customer and numerous recommendations of you product.
– B. Berlage – Hoffman, IL
