Night Guards & Sports Guards — Futch Dental
If you wake up with jaw soreness, morning headaches, or tooth sensitivity—or if your partner hears you grinding your teeth at night—you may be dealing with bruxism. Left untreated, nighttime grinding and clenching can crack teeth, wear down enamel, damage dental work, and cause chronic jaw pain. At Futch Dental, we create custom night guards designed to protect your teeth, reduce pressure on your jaw, and help you wake up feeling better.
Schedule Your ConsultationBruxism is the clinical term for grinding, clenching, or gnashing your teeth—often involuntarily during sleep. Many people who grind their teeth at night have no idea they're doing it until the damage starts to show. The forces generated during nighttime grinding can be surprisingly powerful—strong enough to crack teeth, fracture fillings, and cause significant wear over time.
Teeth grinding can have several contributing factors, including stress, anxiety, sleep disruption, bite imbalances, certain medications, and lifestyle habits like caffeine or alcohol use. There's also an important connection between bruxism and airway function: when the muscles of the airway, neck, and tongue relax during sleep, the jaw may clench or grind as the body works to keep the airway open. Whatever the underlying cause, the key is protecting your teeth from the damage while we work to understand what's driving it.
A custom night guard—also called an occlusal guard, bite guard, or bite splint—is a removable dental appliance worn over the teeth while you sleep. It creates a smooth, protective barrier between your upper and lower teeth, absorbing and redistributing the forces of grinding and clenching so your teeth, enamel, and dental work don't take the hit.
Unlike store-bought guards, a custom night guard is fabricated in a professional dental laboratory from precise impressions of your teeth. The result is an appliance that fits securely, feels comfortable, stays in place through the night, and provides accurate bite protection tailored to your specific jaw alignment.
Bruxism doesn't always announce itself with obvious symptoms. Many patients are surprised to learn they've been grinding for years. Here are the most common warning signs:
If any of these symptoms sound familiar, schedule an evaluation. Dr. Futch will examine your teeth, bite, and jaw muscles for signs of grinding and help determine whether a night guard is the right next step.
Over-the-counter guards are available at most pharmacies, but there's an important difference between a generic boil-and-bite guard and a professionally crafted appliance. A custom night guard is made from an exact impression of your teeth in a dental laboratory, which means it fits more precisely, distributes biting forces more evenly, and is generally more comfortable and durable. Store-bought guards can work as a short-term solution for mild cases, but for patients who grind regularly, a custom guard offers significantly better protection, stability, and long-term value.
The process is simple and typically requires just two visits:
Dr. Futch examines your teeth, bite, and jaw for signs of grinding and wear. If a night guard is recommended, we take precise impressions or digital scans of your teeth that are sent to a professional dental laboratory for custom fabrication.
When your guard arrives, you return for a fitting. Dr. Futch checks the fit, comfort, and bite alignment, and makes any necessary adjustments so the guard feels secure and natural. You'll also receive instructions on how to wear and care for it.
A dental injury during sports can mean a cracked, broken, or knocked-out tooth—and the treatment to fix it is far more expensive than preventing it in the first place. Futch Dental creates custom-fitted sports guards for athletes of all ages, from youth league players to adults in recreational leagues.
A custom sports guard is made from impressions of your teeth, so it fits securely, stays in place during activity, and allows normal breathing and communication. It provides significantly better protection than a generic boil-and-bite guard from a sporting goods store. We recommend a custom sports guard for any contact or collision sport, including football, basketball, hockey, soccer, lacrosse, martial arts, and boxing.
Dr. Futch has been evaluating and treating the effects of teeth grinding for more than 35 years. He understands that a night guard is more than a piece of plastic—it's a precision appliance that needs to fit your bite accurately to do its job. With advanced training in occlusion and restorative dentistry, Dr. Futch evaluates not just the symptoms of grinding, but the underlying bite dynamics that may be contributing to the problem.
Dr. Futch and the Futch Dental team take a thorough, personalized approach to every patient. We accept most major dental insurance plans, and some plans cover a portion of the cost of a night guard when signs of bruxism are documented. CareCredit financing is also available.
If you grind or clench regularly, a night guard can help protect your teeth from wear, cracks, chips, and sensitivity. Dr. Futch will evaluate your teeth and jaw and recommend the best approach for your situation.
Common signs include jaw soreness when you wake up, frequent morning headaches, tooth sensitivity, visibly worn or chipped teeth, and a partner who hears grinding sounds. Many patients don't realize they grind until Dr. Futch identifies the wear patterns during an exam.
For many patients, yes. A properly fitted night guard reduces the clenching pressure that contributes to jaw soreness, muscle tension, and tension-type headaches. Results vary, but many patients notice improvement within the first few weeks.
For patients who grind regularly, yes. A custom guard is made from exact impressions of your teeth, so it fits more precisely, distributes forces more evenly, and is more comfortable and durable than a generic boil-and-bite option.
Absolutely—and in fact, a night guard is especially important if you have dental restorations. Grinding can damage crowns, crack veneers, and put stress on implant restorations. A guard protects your investment.
That depends on how heavily you grind, the material used, and how well you care for it. Many custom guards last several years with proper maintenance. Dr. Futch monitors the condition of your guard at regular checkups and will let you know when it's time for a replacement.
Some dental insurance plans cover part of the cost of a night guard when bruxism symptoms are documented. Our team can help you check your benefits.
If jaw soreness, headaches, or worn teeth are part of your daily reality, a custom night guard may be exactly what you need. Dr. Futch and the team at Futch Dental in Reno, NV will evaluate your teeth and bite, explain your options, and help you find a solution that protects your smile and improves the way you feel every morning. Call our Reno, NV office today at (775) 746-1177 or click below to schedule your consultation.
