How long should a night guard last?

In my practice, patients tend to wear the ones I have made for years.... that is if they take proper care of them. Last month a patient came in with a hard night guard that I had made that was nine years old!  That being the case, I believe that if your night guard lasts for 5 years or more you have gotten a good length of service.

How to ensure they last a long time? They should be stored during the day in a protective container and kept moist. I counsel my patients not to leave them out on their night table wrapped in tissue paper(this could result in them being  accidentally discarded). Try not to drop them on hard ceramic floors found in most bathrooms since this fall could easily cause breakage.

I counsel my patients to wash them in cold water and not use toothpaste to clean them (too abrasive). Most dishwashing soaps are OK. Also , commercial denture cleaner such as efferent are a good choice. Heat can cause these appliances to warp and should be avoided.

Although the hard varieties tend to hold up better than soft night guards, most of the time all should last for years. Occasionally patients do wear through the guards and do need a new one made, but that just means they should invest in another since it is  better to wear out a night guard than your own teeth!