Your dentist might try to sell you a mouth guard for $400 or more, a cost that very likely is not covered by insurance. Fortunately, there are much cheaper options available over the counter. Some of them even come with a custom molding service to ensure the best fit possible.
Before spending a lot of money at the dentist, you might want to try one of the many affordable occlusal guards first. Considering the price difference, you could save a lot of money, and you won't be out much if one of these cheaper options doesn't work out.
Note: Occlusal guards do not necessarily help with snoring. If you're looking for something to help with a snoring problem, you should look at buying a mouth guard for snoring.
1. Grind Guard
If you're looking for the best low-cost, do-it-yourself occlusal guard, Grind Guard is the one to get. Like many other mouth guards, it molds to your mouth after softening it up in boiling water. However, it's not as large as some of the other guards, so if you have a smaller mouth, you won't have to struggle trimming it down to size. On the other hand, if you're concerned about the guard being too small for your mouth, you may want to look elsewhere.2. Touch of White Custom Dental Night Guard
If you're looking for the sort of mouth guard you would get at the dentist, but at 1/10th of the cost, this custom-fitted option is probably the closest fit. Rather than shaping this mouth guard yourself, you make impressions of your teeth using the supplied kit, and send them into the company for professional molding.3. SleepRight Adjustable Select Night Guard
Unlike most over the counter mouth guards, this one adjusts via a slider rather than being permanently molded to your mouth. For many people, this provides a better fit. It also allows the mouth guard to be more durable - no small concern for people who have chewed through mouth guard after mouth guard. The SleepRight night guard is guaranteed for three months.4. Sparkling White Smiles Custom Soft Dental Teeth Night Guard
Here's another custom fitted option where you make your own impressions and mail them into the company for professional molds. These mouth guards are especially soft, and with the custom fit, are comfortable enough for nightly use. As a bonus, Sparkling White Smiles will include duplicate occlusal guards at a discount - which is great for people who are concerned about durability.5. Dental Hygiene Preferred Complete Day/Night Mouth Guard Kit
These popular and affordable mouth guards come in two packs featuring one larger guard and one smaller one, for people who aren't sure about the size (or perhaps for two-grinder families!). They also come with a plastic case for convenient storage - a nice bonus considering how important it is to keep your mouth guard clean.6. Doctor's Nightguard Advanced Comfort
Another good and affordable option for people with smaller mouths. You might have to refit these occlusal guards multiple times and read the directions very carefully, but once you get it right, they fit as well as professionally molded mouth guards. Doctor's Nightguards feature two layers - a soft upper layer to cushion, and a hard lower layer to prevent teeth grinding.7. SleepRight NO-BOIL Dental Guard
This adjustable night guard is harder than other options and fits more securely in your mouth. If you've had problems finding an occlusal guard that isn't too bulky but still stays in your mouth all night, this could be the right choice for you. The company advertises this as the #1 brand prescribed by dental professionals.
8. DenTek Comfort Fit Dental Guard kit
Have trouble sleeping with a humongous hunk of plastic in your mouth? This night guard uses less material, fits over your lower teeth, and overall is less noticeable than other occlusal guards. On the downside, some people may find them too small, and may worry about gagging on them in the middle of the night.9. Plackers Grind-no-More Teeth Grinding Guard
These disposable occlusal guards come in packs of ten and can each be worn for three nights or longer. For people who chew through every mouth guard, no matter how supposedly durable, these are a logical choice. The guards are small and so unintrusive that most people can carry on a conversation with them, and some may even be able to wear them during the day if day-grinding is a problem.Final Thoughts
You may not find the right occlusal guard for you on the first try. Everyone is different, both in mouth shape and in what feels comfortable. Many people with night grinding problems try multiple options before hitting on the right one. Still, the search for an over the counter option is often worth it when you consider the alternative. The price of all of these occlusal guards combined is less than what you're likely to pay at the dentist.
For more information on occlusal (night) guards, I recommend this article. For information on bruxism in general, see the Mayo Clinic's official website.
