Written by Joanna Marie Macute, Director of Telehealth Clinical Operations | Fact-Checked for Clinical Accuracy
If you grind your teeth at night, choosing the wrong night guard is an expensive mistake. Walk into any Shoppers Drug Mart or Rexall and you will find boil-and-bite mouth guards for $25–$65 CAD. Walk into a dentist and you will pay $400–$1,100 CAD for a custom guard. There is a third option that most Canadians overlook: a professionally designed custom guard ordered online for $129–$249 CAD.
This guide breaks down exactly what separates these options — material, fit, durability, and actual clinical effectiveness — so you can make the right call.
Available at Shoppers Drug Mart, Rexall, and London Drugs. You heat them in boiling water and bite down to mould them to your teeth. They offer basic protection but have significant limitations: inconsistent fit, limited durability (most last 1–3 months for active grinders), and can shift jaw alignment and worsen TMJ symptoms over time.
Your dentist takes impressions in-office, sends them to a dental lab, and the guard is fabricated from hard acrylic or dual-laminate material. Clinical quality is excellent — but the cost is high and most Canadian insurance plans cover it only partially. Replacement costs the same as the original.
You take impressions at home using a kit, mail them to the lab, and receive a custom-fitted guard fabricated from the same professional materials used by dentists. This is where NewSmile sits — custom quality at a fraction of the in-office cost.
A 2024 study published in Cranio: The Journal of Craniomandibular & Sleep Practice compared custom-fitted occlusal splints against OTC boil-and-bite guards in 120 bruxism patients over 12 weeks:
"Custom-fitted splints provide significantly superior outcomes in both pain reduction and sleep quality compared to OTC devices. The difference is attributable to precise occlusal coverage, uniform force distribution, and material durability."
The reason is mechanical: a custom guard distributes bite forces evenly across all teeth based on your specific dental anatomy. A boil-and-bite guard fits approximately, creating uneven pressure points that can actually accelerate joint strain.
The true cost comparison accounts for replacement frequency:
Over a 5-year horizon, NewSmile custom guards cost roughly 80–90% less than dentist-made guards with equivalent clinical materials.
OTC guards provide basic enamel protection but carry risks: poor fit can shift jaw alignment, cheap materials degrade quickly, and boil-and-bite guards can worsen TMJ symptoms in some patients. They are fine for occasional use but not for daily bruxism management.
No. Custom night guards from online providers like NewSmile do not require a prescription. You take impressions at home and the lab fabricates your guard directly.
Coverage varies by plan. Many Canadian dental benefit plans cover custom-fabricated night guards (typically under "Occlusal Splint" or similar code). Check your plan details — the out-of-pocket cost after coverage is often very low.
