Nightguards in Toronto’s Distillery District

Custom-fitted nightguards that stop grinding and clenching from quietly sanding down your teeth while you sleep — made from an impression of your actual bite, not a boil-and-bite approximation.

Do you grind your teeth?

Most people who grind (the clinical term is bruxism) have no idea they’re doing it — it happens in your sleep, and the evidence turns up in daylight:

• Waking with a sore jaw, tight temples, or a dull headache
• Teeth that look flatter or shorter than they used to, or feel newly sensitive
• Fillings, crowns, or veneers that keep chipping or coming loose
• A partner who mentions the sound — often the first anyone knows of it
• Clicking or aching in the jaw joint, or a jaw that feels tired by evening
• Small vertical cracks appearing in your front teeth

Grinding is largely involuntary, and stress makes it worse — which is why willpower isn’t a treatment plan. A nightguard doesn’t stop the grinding; it gives the force somewhere harmless to go.

How a custom nightguard is made

It takes two short visits. At the first, we examine the wear pattern on your teeth and jaw joint — the evidence tells us a lot about how and where you grind — and take a digital scan or impression of your bite. That goes to the lab, where your guard is made to fit your teeth precisely and to the thickness your particular grinding calls for.

At the second visit we fit it, check how your bite closes on it, and adjust until it feels like nothing. A guard you don’t wear protects nothing, so comfort isn’t a luxury here — it’s the whole design brief. Bring it to your regular cleanings and we’ll check the fit and wear as we go.

Custom versus the drugstore version

Boil-and-bite guards from a pharmacy are easy to find and genuinely better than nothing in the short term. The trade-offs: they’re bulkier, they wear through faster, they can shift or fall out overnight, and because they’re not made to your bite, some people end up clenching harder against them. A custom guard is made for you and lasts years — and it’s the version most people actually keep wearing.

Coverage in Ontario

Nightguards are usually classed as an appliance on Ontario dental plans rather than a basic service, and coverage varies more here than almost anywhere else — some plans cover a share, some set an annual maximum, and many limit you to one guard every three to five years. Most reimburse in line with standard Ontario dental plan guidelines.

Because the variation is so wide, we confirm your specific coverage before making anything and give you a written treatment plan first. Patients with the Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP) or the Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP) should ask us to check appliance coverage specifically, as program rules differ from private plans. See insurance options and payment options.

Straight answers

How long does a nightguard last?

A custom guard typically lasts several years, though heavy grinders wear through them faster — which is useful information in itself, since a guard that’s visibly chewed tells us how much force your teeth were absorbing before. We check yours at each cleaning and tell you when replacement is genuinely due.

Will a nightguard stop my jaw pain?

Often, yes — many patients notice fewer morning headaches and less jaw tension within a few weeks. But jaw pain has several possible causes, and a guard treats one of them. If yours doesn’t improve, we’ll investigate rather than assume, and refer on if your case needs a specialist.

Is it uncomfortable to sleep in?

There’s an adjustment period, usually a week or two of it feeling present before it stops registering. If it’s still bothering you after that, come back — an adjustment usually solves it. Discomfort isn’t something to tolerate quietly; it’s the main reason guards end up in drawers.

Can I get a nightguard if I have veneers or crowns?

Not only can you — you probably should. Grinding is one of the fastest ways to damage veneers, crowns, and bonding, and a nightguard is the best protection available for work you’ve already had done. We design the guard around your restorations.

Related care

Nightguards sit alongside your complete oral exam, where grinding is usually first spotted, and protect the work done in general and cosmetic dentistry. Browse all preventative dentistry at the studio.

Protect what you already have

If you wake up with a sore jaw, or someone has told you about the sound, book a visit at our Distillery District studio. We’ll look at the wear pattern and tell you honestly whether a guard is worth it.