Custom Night Guards
in Huntington Beach

A custom night guard at our Huntington Beach office is $900 regularly, and we typically offer it at a discounted $390. That covers the exam, the impression, the lab-fabricated guard, and the fitting appointment where we adjust your bite. Some dental plans reimburse part of the cost for a documented bruxism diagnosis — call the office and we will check your specific plan before you commit.

Yes, for two practical reasons. A drugstore boil-and-bite guard is moulded roughly to your teeth, so it loosens, shifts while you sleep, and often ends up on the pillow by morning. A custom guard is made from an impression of your actual teeth in a dental lab, so it stays seated all night and distributes force evenly. The second reason is durability: drugstore guards typically flatten within months, while a lab guard lasts years.

Most people who grind have no idea, because it happens while they sleep. The common signs are waking with a sore jaw or a dull headache at the temples, teeth that feel sensitive to cold for no obvious reason, and a partner who hears grinding at night. Dr. Baldwin can also see it directly — grinding leaves a distinctive flattened wear pattern on the biting surfaces that is easy to identify during an exam.

It helps a great many patients, though it is not a guaranteed cure for every jaw problem. If your pain comes from clenching and grinding, separating the teeth lets the jaw muscles rest and symptoms usually ease over several weeks. If the pain has another cause — arthritis in the joint, disc displacement, or an injury — a guard alone may not resolve it, and Dr. Baldwin will tell you honestly if he thinks you need a referral.

A night guard is primarily a protective barrier that stops teeth grinding against each other. A splint is designed to reposition the bite or the jaw joint and is usually built to a more specific prescription. We make both at our Huntington Beach office, and Dr. Baldwin recommends one over the other based on whether your main problem is tooth wear or jaw joint symptoms.

A custom lab-made guard typically lasts several years, though heavy grinders wear through them faster than light clenchers. We check the wear marks at your regular cleanings. When the guard becomes thin in spots or no longer seats firmly, it is time for a replacement — and the wear pattern itself is useful information about how hard you are grinding.

Most patients need a few nights to adjust, and after that it becomes unremarkable. A properly fitted guard should feel snug but not tight, and it should not make you gag or wake you up. If yours feels wrong after the first week, come back and we will adjust it — that is a normal part of the process, not an inconvenience.

Rinse it in cool water as soon as you take it out each morning, brush it gently with a soft toothbrush and no toothpaste, then let it dry fully before putting it in its case. Never use hot water, which warps the plastic and ruins the fit. Bring it to your cleaning appointments and we will check and clean it professionally.

Yes. Porcelain is strong under normal chewing but it can fracture under sustained night-time grinding force. If you have invested in crowns, veneers, or a bridge, a night guard is the least expensive way to protect that work. We routinely recommend one for patients finishing cosmetic treatment for exactly this reason.

Some dental plans cover a portion of an occlusal guard when there is a documented bruxism diagnosis, while others exclude it entirely. Coverage varies more on this item than almost anything else in dentistry. Call our Huntington Beach office at (714) 536-2571 and we will verify your specific plan before you commit to treatment.