Your son keeps the mouthguard he bought at the sporting goods store somewhere in the bottom of his hockey bag, and he pulls it out to talk every time he hits the bench. Or maybe you are the one waking up with a tight jaw and a dull headache, and your partner has started mentioning the grinding noise at two in the morning. Two completely different problems, one answer, and it is not a piece of bulk plastic from a shelf.
At Monokian Dentistry we make custom mouthguards in Haddonfield, NJ at our office on N. Haddon Avenue, built from impressions of your own teeth. A guard that fits is a guard that actually gets worn, and a guard that gets worn is the only kind that protects anything. Our family has looked after South Jersey smiles since 1978, and we treat our patients like family.
Ready to get fitted? Schedule your mouthguard fitting in Haddonfield or call our Haddonfield office at 856.429.0404.
Custom Mouthguards in Haddonfield, NJ Serve Two Very Different Jobs
The word mouthguard covers two appliances that look similar in a case and do opposite things in your mouth. One absorbs impact arriving from the outside. The other absorbs force your own jaw muscles generate from the inside. The material, the thickness, and the design are not the same, so a sports guard worn at night or a night guard worn at a game will not do the job you are counting on.
Our dentists will look at your wear patterns, your bite, and what you actually need protection from, then recommend one or the other. Some patients end up with both. You can read more on our custom mouthguard page or as part of our wider general dentistry services.
Sports Mouthguards
A sports mouthguard cushions a blow to the face and spreads that force across the entire arch instead of letting one front tooth take all of it. It is the cheapest piece of protective equipment in youth athletics and the one most often left at home.
A properly fitted guard reduces the chance of chipped and knocked-out front teeth, cuts to the lips and cheeks from your own teeth, and damage to crowns, bridges, and braces. We fit guards for football, ice hockey, field hockey, lacrosse, basketball, wrestling, soccer, martial arts, and skateboarding. Patients in braces get a guard designed with room for brackets so it does not press on the hardware.
If a tooth does get knocked out anyway, that is a true dental emergency and the clock starts immediately. Call us right away. See our emergency dental care.
Night Guards for Teeth Grinding
Bruxism is the clinical name for grinding and clenching, and most people who do it have no idea until a dentist points at the evidence. The signs we look for are flattened chewing surfaces, hairline cracks in enamel, new sensitivity to cold, chipped edges on the front teeth, ridges along the side of the tongue, and a jaw that feels tired when you wake up.
A night guard does not stop your brain from clenching. What it does is give your muscles a replaceable surface to close against, so your enamel, your fillings, and any crowns or veneers you have invested in are not the thing wearing down. For patients whose grinding is tied to jaw joint pain, we look at the whole picture through TMJ treatment, which can include therapeutic Botox for overworked jaw muscles through Monokian Aesthetics. Read about easing chronic jaw pain.
Custom vs. Boil-and-Bite vs. Stock: An Honest Comparison
Drugstore guards are not useless. They are better than nothing on a field. They are just not equivalent, and the difference shows up in whether the thing stays in your mouth.
| Feature | Custom Made | Boil-and-Bite | Stock |
|---|---|---|---|
| How it fits | Formed on a model of your own teeth | Softened in hot water, shaped by biting down | Preformed, one size for everyone |
| Talking and breathing | Normal, most athletes forget it is in | Bulky, speech is muffled, tends to loosen | Poor, many patients gag or spit it out |
| Protection | Highest, even thickness kept over the impact zones | Moderate, thins wherever you bit through it | Lowest, moves on impact |
| Typical lifespan | 3 to 5 years for adults, one or two seasons for growing kids | One season if you are lucky | Weeks |
| Suitable for night grinding | Yes, made in hard acrylic or dual laminate | No, the soft material can encourage more clenching | No |
| Cost over time | More up front, least expensive per year of real use | Cheap, replaced constantly | Cheapest, rarely worn |
What to Expect When We Make Your Custom Mouthguard
- Exam and bite assessment. We check your teeth, gums, and jaw joints, and we look for the wear patterns that tell us whether you are grinding. If you are an athlete, we ask about your sport and your position.
- Digital scan or impression. We capture the shape of your arch. It takes a few minutes and nothing about it is uncomfortable.
- Fabrication at our local lab. We work with Niche Dental Studio, a local dental laboratory, so the guard is built to the thickness and material your case calls for rather than a generic template.
- Fitting and adjustment. You come back, we seat the guard, and we adjust until it holds without pressure points. For night guards we check how your bite contacts the surface, because an unbalanced guard can create the very soreness you came in to fix.
- Care and follow-up. Rinse it in cool water after every use, brush it gently, store it in a vented case away from heat, and bring it with you to your cleanings so we can check it for wear.
Who Needs a Custom Mouthguard?
- Anyone playing a contact or collision sport. Adults in recreational leagues get hurt as often as kids, and they usually have more expensive dental work to lose.
- Kids and teens in organized athletics. Growing mouths need refitting, which is why we plan for replacement rather than pretending one guard lasts through high school.
- Patients who wake with jaw soreness or headaches. Morning symptoms that fade by lunchtime are a classic grinding pattern. Loud snoring may signal sleep apnea and airway problems.
- Patients with cracked, chipped, or flattened teeth. Visible wear means the force is already winning.
- Anyone with significant restorative work. Crowns, veneers, bridges, and dental implants all deserve protection from nighttime force.
- Patients being treated for jaw joint pain. A splint is often the first conservative step.
Cost of Custom Mouthguards in Haddonfield, NJ
Cost depends on your treatment plan, and we’ll walk you through it at your complimentary consult.
The spread comes down to material, thickness, and whether the appliance is a simple protective guard or a therapeutic splint.
Many dental plans cover a portion of a night guard when it is prescribed for bruxism, and some cover sports guards for dependent children. We verify your benefits and give you the number in writing before we start. For families without traditional coverage, the Monokian Membership Plan has no waiting periods, and you can see all of your options on our payment and insurance page. No insurance? No problem.
Serving Haddonfield & South Jersey
Our Haddonfield dental office sits at 300 N. Haddon Ave, Haddonfield, NJ 08033, minutes from the fields, rinks, and gyms where most of our patients earn their chipped teeth. We see athletes and grinders from across Camden County, including:
- Cherry Hill
- Collingswood
- Haddon Township
- Haddon Heights
- Voorhees
- Westmont
- Barrington
If our Marlton dental office is closer to your practice schedule, we fit mouthguards there as well, with the same lab and the same standards.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a custom mouthguard cost in Haddonfield, NJ?
Cost depends on your treatment plan, and we’ll walk you through it at your complimentary consult. We quote your exact case before any work begins.
Is a custom mouthguard really better than a boil-and-bite?
Yes, and the biggest reason is compliance. A custom guard is thin enough to talk in and tight enough to stay put, so it stays in the mouth instead of the bag. It also keeps consistent thickness over the front teeth, where boil-and-bite guards tend to thin out exactly where impact lands.
How long does a custom mouthguard last?
An adult sports guard usually lasts 3 to 5 years and an adult night guard often lasts about the same, depending on how hard you grind. Children and teens need refitting more often because their jaws and teeth are still moving, frequently every season or two.
Will a night guard stop me from grinding my teeth?
No, and no appliance does. A night guard protects your teeth from the consequences of grinding by giving the force somewhere else to go. If the grinding itself is driven by jaw muscle tension or stress, we look at additional options, including therapeutic Botox and other TMJ treatments.
Can my child wear a mouthguard with braces?
Yes. We fabricate guards with extra clearance around brackets and wires so the appliance protects the lips and teeth without pressing on orthodontic hardware. Guards for patients in braces usually need remaking during treatment as the teeth move.
How do I clean my mouthguard?
Rinse it in cool water right after you take it out, brush it gently with a soft toothbrush and mild soap rather than toothpaste, and let it dry fully before you close the case. Never use hot water or leave it in a car, because heat warps the fit permanently.
Does dental insurance cover a night guard?
Many plans cover part of a night guard when it is documented as treatment for bruxism, often at 50 percent after your deductible, and some limit you to one guard every few years. We check your specific plan and tell you the out of pocket number before we order anything.
Schedule Your Mouthguard Fitting in Haddonfield, NJ
Enamel does not grow back and a front tooth lost on a Saturday morning follows you for decades. A custom guard is a small, one time step that protects a lot of what you have already paid for.New patients are always welcome at Monokian Dentistry, and we refuse to cut corners on something this simple.
- Book online. Schedule your custom mouthguard appointment in Haddonfield through our booking form.
- Prefer to talk it through? Call our Haddonfield office at 856.429.0404, or reach our new patient team at 856.210.8971.
Welcome home to a practice that will make sure the guard fits before you ever need it.