Dental and Bite Evaluation
Your dentist examines your teeth, wear patterns, restorations, bite, jaw movement, and symptoms.
Custom Occlusal Guards & Night Guards
Family Dentist in Fort Collins, CO
Personalized Protection for Your Teeth and Bite
Grinding and clenching can wear down teeth, damage restorations, and cause jaw discomfort or morning headaches. Harbor Dental offers custom occlusal and night guards designed to protect your teeth and dental work while reducing excessive bite pressure.
Night guards are typically worn during sleep to protect against grinding and clenching, while occlusal guards may also provide bite protection and support for teeth and restorations.
Why Occlusal Guards and Night Guards Matter?
Protection Designed Around You
Many patients grind or clench their teeth without realizing it — often during sleep, sometimes during the day. Over time, that pressure may lead to flattened or worn teeth, chips or cracks, sensitivity, jaw tightness, and morning headaches. A custom occlusal guard or night guard fits over your upper or lower teeth, depending on your bite, and creates a protective surface that helps reduce direct tooth-to-tooth contact.
An occlusal guard or night guard does not always stop grinding, but it can help protect your teeth and restorations from direct contact and repeated force.
Protects Tooth Surfaces
Helps reduce wear, chips, cracks, and damage caused by repeated grinding or clenching.
Protects Dental Work
Reduces stress on crowns, veneers, implants, fillings, and previously cracked teeth.
Supports Your Bite
Professionally adjusted so pressure is distributed more evenly across the guard.
What is included in your Evaluation?
your bite evaluation appointment
If you already have an occlusal guard, night guard, or bite guard, bring it to your appointment so we can evaluate its fit and condition.
What to Expect?
Step-by-step care
Types of Occlusal Guards And Night Guards
An appliance selected for your needs
The best material and design depend on your bite, symptoms, grinding intensity, comfort needs, and existing dental restorations.
Hard Acrylic Guard
A rigid custom occlusal guard that can be carefully adjusted to control how the opposing teeth contact its surface. It may be recommended for moderate or heavy grinding, extensive tooth wear, bite-related concerns, or significant restorative dental work.
Soft Guard
A flexible custom night guard that may feel easier to tolerate for patients with mild grinding, clenching, or short-term protection needs.
Dual-Laminate Guard
A combination appliance with a softer interior and firmer exterior, offering both cushioning and durability. This may be recommended for patients who need comfort along with stronger protection.
When to Schedule a bite Evaluation?
You are
safe here
Not Every Patient Needs the Same Type of Guard
A custom occlusal guard or night guard may be recommended when an examination reveals signs of grinding, clenching, excessive bite pressure, or repeated dental damage. An evaluation helps determine whether your symptoms are related to nighttime grinding, daytime clenching, your bite, or another condition.
Schedule an evaluation if you have:
- Flattened or shortened teeth
- Frequent chips or fractures
- Morning jaw soreness or headaches
- Tooth sensitivity
- Recurring crown or filling damage
- Facial muscle tension
- Grinding sounds noticed by a partner
- Extensive crowns, veneers, or restorations
What Contributes to Grinding & Clenching?
A Guard May Help — But the Cause Matters
Grinding and clenching may contribute to jaw-muscle fatigue, facial tension, headaches, tooth wear, or discomfort around the jaw joints. A custom night guard or occlusal guard may help by reducing direct tooth contact and managing bite pressure, but jaw pain and clenching can have several underlying causes.
Contributing factors may include:
- Stress
- Bite relationships
- Nighttime grinding
- Daytime clenching
- Joint clicking or limited jaw movement
- Previous injury or arthritis history
- Sleep-related symptoms
- Tooth wear from existing grinding
- Existing crowns, veneers, implants, or fillings that need protection
Complex or persistent jaw symptoms may require additional evaluation or referral.
Clear Choices for Maintaining Your Smile
Planning for Your Dental Care
The cost of a custom occlusal guard or night guard depends on the appliance material, design, dental evaluation, and whether additional treatment is needed. Dental insurance may provide benefits when a guard is considered dentally necessary, but coverage and frequency limitations vary. Some appliance services may also be excluded from in-house plan discounts.
Long-Term Care & Follow-Up
Rinse your occlusal guard or night guard with cool water after each use, brush it gently, and let it dry before storing it in a ventilated case. Avoid hot water, direct sunlight, and adjusting the appliance yourself.
Bring your guard to routine dental visits so we can check its fit and condition. New dental treatment, such as crowns, fillings, veneers, or implants, can change how your guard fits. Follow-up visits may also be recommended to monitor comfort, fit, bite contact, and appliance wear over time.
Why Families Choose Us?
The Harbor Difference
Modern dental care with a calm, transparent, family-first approach. Every detail is designed to help you feel confident, comfortable, and cared for.
Feel Safe at Harbor Dental®
Fort Collins Patient Reviews
Frequently Asked Questions
Questions Before You Sail In?
What is an occlusal guard, and is it the same as a night guard?
An occlusal guard is a removable dental appliance worn over the upper or lower teeth to protect against grinding, clenching, and excessive bite pressure. A night guard is a type of protective guard commonly worn during sleep. The terms occlusal guard, night guard, and bite guard are often used interchangeably, though an occlusal guard may also be designed for specific bite-related or restorative purposes.
Will a night guard stop me from grinding?
Not necessarily. A custom night guard or occlusal guard is designed to protect your teeth and restorations from direct contact and repeated force, but it may not eliminate the grinding or clenching habit itself.
How do I know whether I grind or clench my teeth?
Possible signs include worn teeth, morning jaw soreness, headaches, tooth sensitivity, damaged restorations, facial tension, or grinding sounds noticed by another person while you sleep.
Is a custom guard better than an over-the-counter night guard?
A custom occlusal guard or night guard is designed from a scan or impression of your teeth and professionally adjusted for your bite. Over-the-counter guards may not fit as precisely and may not be appropriate for every patient.
Is a night guard recommended for children or teens?
Not automatically. Because their teeth and jaws are still developing, an evaluation considers age, symptoms, permanent-tooth wear, bite development, and the cause of grinding before recommending an appliance.
Can an occlusal guard help with jaw pain?
It may help some patients when grinding, clenching, or muscle tension contributes to discomfort. An evaluation is needed because jaw pain can have several causes.
How often should I wear my night guard?
Follow your dentist’s instructions. Many protective night guards are worn during sleep, while some occlusal guards may have different wear recommendations depending on your bite and symptoms.
How long will a custom occlusal guard or night guard last?
Lifespan depends on the material, grinding intensity, care, fit, and frequency of use. Bring your guard to routine visits so we can check for wear, cracks, and fit changes.
How should I clean and care for it?
Rinse it after use, brush it gently with a soft toothbrush, let it dry, and store it in a ventilated case. Avoid hot water, direct sunlight, abrasive toothpaste unless recommended, and chewing the appliance while awake.
Is it normal for a new guard to feel uncomfortable at first?
A short adjustment period is common. Mild pressure, increased saliva, or temporary speech changes often improve within the first several nights. Contact us if it causes persistent pain, sores, feels loose, or develops cracks or sharp edges.
Can I wear a night guard with Invisalign®?
Do not combine appliances unless directed by your dentist or orthodontic provider. Invisalign® aligners and night guards serve different purposes, and wearing them together may affect fit or treatment.
Can I keep wearing my guard after getting a new crown or filling?
New dental work can change how your occlusal guard or night guard fits. Bring your guard to your appointment so we can evaluate whether it still fits properly.
Does a night guard treat sleep apnea?
No. A standard protective night guard is different from an oral appliance designed to treat obstructive sleep apnea. If sleep-related breathing concerns are present, additional evaluation may be needed.
Does Harbor Dental accept new patients for custom night guards?
Yes. Harbor Dental welcomes new patients in Fort Collins. A dental and bite evaluation is required before recommending a custom occlusal guard or night guard.
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Rest Easier Knowing Your Teeth Are Protected
Whether you have worn teeth, recurring restoration damage, jaw tension, clenching symptoms, or signs of nighttime grinding, Harbor Dental can help determine whether a custom occlusal guard or night guard is right for you.