How Much Does a Custom Night Guard Cost? (The Complete Honest Breakdown)

If you've ever sat in the dentist's chair and been told you need a night guard, you already know what comes next. The quote. The pause. The mental calculation of whether this goes in the HSA or on the credit card and sort of lives there for a while.

Night guards have a reputation for being expensive, and dentist-made ones genuinely are. But that's not the only option, and the price difference is significant enough that it's worth understanding before you commit.

Here's exactly what custom night guards cost in 2026, broken down by where you get them.

Night Guard From Your Dentist: $300 to $1,000

This is the range you'll encounter when you let your dentist handle the whole process. Impressions, fabrication, fitting appointment, follow-up. The wide range exists because pricing varies by location, the type of practice, and the complexity of what you need. In major cities, $600 to $800 is common. Smaller markets sometimes come in closer to $300.

Here's the part most people don't know: in most cases, your dentist isn't making the guard in house. They send your impressions to a dental lab, which fabricates the guard and ships it back. The markup covers the chair time, the impressions, and the appointments. Not necessarily the quality of the guard itself.

As for insurance: most dental plans either don't cover night guards at all, or they cover them partially with strict limits on replacements. Expect to pay most of this out of pocket regardless of your plan.

Online Custom Night Guard: Starting at $95

This is the range you're looking at with direct-to-consumer brands like Cheeky. The process works the same way as your dentist. You take impressions at home with a kit we send you, mail them back, and a dental lab fabricates your custom guard. We cut out the office overhead entirely and pass those savings to you.

At Cheeky, guards start at $95 and go up depending on the thickness and material you choose. We offer six different configurations, from a soft 1.5mm for light grinders all the way to a hard 2mm for heavy grinders, plus hybrid options in between. Most people save $200 to $900 compared to going through their dentist, for a guard made through the same lab process.

One thing worth knowing: if you plan to replace your guard regularly, and if you grind heavily you should, Cheeky's subscription plans bring the cost down further. We offer both 3 month and 6 month subscription cycles so the cadence matches how aggressively you grind.

Over-the-Counter Guards: $20 to $60

These are the boil-and-bite guards from the pharmacy or a sports store. They're cheap, and they're also not really built for people who grind their teeth seriously.

Boil-and-bite guards are designed for athletes protecting against impact, not for people spending eight hours a night under sustained grinding pressure. They're bulky. They often don't reach the back molars. They tend to shift during sleep. For most bruxism sufferers, they end up across the pillow by morning or worn through within months.

Short term while you wait for a custom guard? They'll do. As a long-term solution? Not really.

What's the Right Guard for Your Situation?

Light grinder with occasional jaw soreness: A soft guard is the right move. Comfortable, discreet, and protective without overkill.

Moderate grinder with regular morning soreness: Look at a soft 3mm or hybrid option. You need real cushioning but not necessarily maximum rigidity.

Heavy grinder with worn enamel or a strong jaw: Go hard. A 1mm or 2mm hard guard is what your teeth actually need. Soft guards get chewed through quickly by severe grinders and stop protecting well before they look worn out.

Grinding alongside TMJ or jaw pain: A properly fitted Cheeky guard is designed to help with TMJ discomfort as well as bruxism protection. The even biting surface reduces the uneven joint stress that drives a lot of TMJ pain. Take our quiz if you're not sure which thickness is right for your situation.

Can You Use HSA or FSA for a Night Guard?

Yes, and this is worth knowing before you pay out of pocket. Custom night guards for bruxism are HSA and FSA eligible under the IRS definition of qualified medical expenses. You can pay with pre-tax dollars, which meaningfully reduces your real cost depending on your tax bracket.

At Cheeky, you can pay directly with your HSA or FSA card at checkout. If your plan requires documentation, a brief letter from your dentist confirming a bruxism diagnosis is usually all you need, and most dentists provide that without any difficulty.

The Real Cost of Not Getting a Night Guard

This is the part of the conversation people tend to skip until it's too late. Enamel does not grow back. Once grinding wears it down far enough, the options shift from a $95 guard to crowns at $1,500 per tooth, veneers, or implants. The math is not close.

A custom night guard is one of the most cost-effective things you can do for your long-term dental health. It's also one of the most effective things you can do for your sleep quality and jaw pain.

Why Cheeky Is the Best Value in Custom Night Guards

We offer more thickness options than any competitor in the space, a 7 business day turnaround once we receive your impressions, free replacement impression kits if anything goes wrong, and subscription plans at both 3 and 6 month intervals. We're the only online custom night guard brand sold in Walmart and Target, and our guards are independently lab tested for safety and material quality.

You can spend more elsewhere. You won't get more.

Custom night guards starting at $95. HSA and FSA accepted. Free shipping. 30-day fit guarantee. Shop at getcheeky.com