A night guard is a small, custom-fitted appliance worn over the teeth during sleep.

In kid words

A night guard is a soft little cover that goes over your teeth at night to keep them safe while you sleep. It is made just to fit your own smile, so it feels thin and comfortable, not bulky. Not every kid wears one, and it comes right back out again in the morning.

The parent version

A night guard is a small custom-made shield your child wears over their teeth while asleep; some offices call it an occlusal guard. Rather than a generic one-size shape, it is molded or scanned from your child's own bite, so it fits only that mouth.

Think of its role as a buffer, not a fix. Positioned between the upper and lower teeth, a night guard takes on the wear that grinding would otherwise put on enamel. The grinding itself keeps happening underneath; bruxism is not cured by the appliance, only cushioned.

Where you might hear it at our office

This word usually comes up if we have noticed wear on your child's teeth at a visit, or if you have mentioned hearing grinding at night. For children specifically, whether a night guard makes sense is rarely an easy yes or no. A young mouth keeps changing quickly, teeth arriving, baby teeth loosening, jaws still growing, so an appliance that fits well today may not fit in a few months. Because of that, simply watching and rechecking is often the right plan on its own, not a guard right away.

Wear from grinding is one of the things we look for at every cleaning and exam. If a guard ever does make sense for your child, it is a decision made together, looking at their real teeth and their stage of growth, so ask your pediatric dentist what fits your child's situation.

If another word from a visit still has you stumped, the rest of the dictionary is right here.

Related words

Words that often come up alongside night guard: bruxism, enamel, bite.