Realizing that mouth guards were not the panacea to nighttime teeth grinding we had hoped for, we sought alternatives to recommend, only to come up relatively empty-handed. “I’ve been researching bruxism for over 40 years, and you’d think after all this effort and time we’d be further along in terms of identifying successful treatments, but we aren’t,” said Glaros. “What we have learned since my very first paper on the topic in 1977 is that bruxism is not a dental disorder, nor is it a sleep-related disorder, but it must be seen, and studied, as both, which complicates the researching process.” Since there is no good animal model available for researching bruxism, studies have to be done with humans, which is “slow, hard, and very expensive work,” Glaros said. That makes it difficult for researchers to develop pharmacological treatments or other approaches that could help sufferers. “It’s very frustrating because it’s such a common issue, and there’s no good way to treat it.”

“There’s a misconception about mouth guards that they prevent people from tooth grinding,” said Dr. Jamison Spencer of The Center for Sleep Apnea & TMJ in Boise, Idaho, who in the past has received samples from a company that makes bruxism treatment aids. Instead, mouth guards “provide teeth something to grind on other than other teeth,” he said. “Alone, they solve no dental problems.”

After more than a hundred hours of research, and over a month sleeping with eight sleep trackers, we think SleepScore and Sleep Cycle are the most helpful.

Chen Hsong has also worked to reduce sound levels during machine operation. The latest machines operate at a sound level of is 80 dB versus 84 dB for the national standard in China.

Stephen has been with PlasticsToday and its preceding publications Modern Plastics and Injection Molding since 1992, throughout this time based in the Asia Pacific region, including stints in Japan, Australia, and his current location Singapore. His current beat focuses on automotive. Stephen is an avid folding bicycle rider, often taking his bike on overseas business trips, and is a proud dachshund owner.

Further, two injection cylinders deliver a high degree of processing flexibility to the molder lest it want to use the machine for another application in that minimum shot size per cylinder is just 15 kg. The option of using just one injection cylinder is possible.

However, even if an over-the-counter mouth guard seems to “work,” remember that “they aren’t treating the actual issue, and regular visits to the dentist are very important, even during the pandemic,” said Palomo. “It is not normal or healthy to have tooth pain or a jaw that clicks or hurts, and ignoring, denying, or covering it up will not make it go away.”

If you’re simply attempting to protect your teeth until you can get to a dentist, of the 11 over-the counter nighttime mouth guards we tested, we found two boil-and-bite models to be the most comfortable and easy to use. Our favorite overall, the Neomen Professional Dental Guard, is available only online but is one of the slimmest and easiest-to-mold guards we tried (using hot water and a strong bite), as well as one of the least expensive at $20 for a pack of four. The thicker Dentek Professional-Fit Dental Guard, which at $25 for one is more expensive than the Neomen, is readily available in drugstores and nearly as simple to mold. Both come with hardshell cases peppered with small air holes to keep the guards clean and dry, and both are easy to clean (with a toothbrush and toothpaste). As for an ultra-slim, ready-to-use option (no boiling required), disposable Plackers Grind No More Dental Guards (about $20 for a pack of 16) may help shield your teeth from the worst effects of grinding until you can see a pro. Our testers found these easier to tolerate than the bulkier mouth guards we recommend.

2. Leena Palomo, DDS, MSD, professor of periodontics and director of DMD Periodontics at Case Western Reserve University School, phone interview, February 6, 2021

3. Jamison R. Spencer, DMD, MS, The Center for Sleep Apnea and TMJ in Salt Lake City, Utah and Boise, Idaho, phone interview, February 8, 2021

Yet a dental or doctor visit for a custom (and likely, hundreds of dollars more expensive) mouth guard isn’t always the answer, either. “If a patient just goes to the dentist and gets a mouth guard without receiving any additional information about how to improve or control the bruxism,” said Spencer, “it’s like buying a helmet to wear because you’ve been banging your head against the wall for years, without finding out why you’re still banging your head.” Similarly, Rawdin encourages grinders to specifically seek an oral-health professional with expertise in treating the causes of bruxism to “properly examine and diagnose what detrimental habits have formed, and thus what the best treatment is to meet needs,” which can extend well beyond the use of mouth guards. Botox injections, for example, are an alternative treatment Rawdin has used to treat patients with bruxism. Other treatments include dental appliances such as bite plates, CPAP machines for sleep apnea, and physical therapy including jaw, neck, and head massage or exercises. Also, any activities that reduce stress, such as meditation or exercise, can help. “When stress levels decrease, so do habits induced by stress, like bruxism,” said Rawdin.

If you can’t afford or access a proper oral exam to diagnose and treat the cause of your bruxism, all of our experts suggest searching for a nearby dental school or federally qualified health center (FQHC) that has a dental service attached, as these institutions usually offer treatment for less. “Access to care is a challenge,” acknowledged Palomo, “but calling around different places, explaining your circumstances, and asking for pricing and payment plans can work, as different practices and clinics offer different options.”

“Sometimes you can’t stop the stress or solve the core issues, so you have to play defense,” noted Rawdin. “If you can’t turn off the grinding, you want to get a properly fitted and frequently adjusted mouth guard to grind on to save your teeth.”

Chen Hsong recently delivered the unit to Australian processor Trident Wastewater Services (Adelaide, SA) for molding large septic tanks from polypropylene in a single color. Shot volume is an incredible 152,094 cubic cm.

Unfortunately, mouth guards—which provide a small barrier between the teeth and are thought to protect against the effects of teeth grinding and jaw clenching—may not work. And they might even make things worse.

Leading Chinese auto OEMs are among users of Chen Hsong machines that the machine builder is working with, including an auto parts molder in Chongqing that is using a 1650-tonne SM1650 machine with the D130 injection unit (screw diameter of 130 mm, which is the standard injection unit for this machine size) to mold an instrument panel, and an auto parts molder in Shanghai which is employing the same type of machine to mold a mat.

At best, an over-the-counter mouth guard can serve as a stopgap solution to prevent further tooth damage while the wearer awaits professional dental or medical care to try to figure out the root causes of their bruxism. But at worst, an over-the-counter mouth guard can make underlying conditions (aging dental work, gum disease, or inflammation) worse “and require more invasive and traumatic treatment once the person finally goes to the dentist,” said Dr. Leena Palomo of the Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine.

Spencer referenced studies showing that tooth grinding and jaw clenching in some people who suffer from untreated sleep apnea worsened with mouth guard use. Furthermore, “drugstore mouth guards,” as Dr. Samantha Rawdin, a prosthodontist who treats complicated dental and facial problems at Gallery57 Dental in New York City, calls them, “are made from softer, squishier plastic [compared with medical-grade guards] that can make some people clench their teeth more, defeating the purpose.”

The company manufactures two-platen injection machines at its flagship 560,000-m2 campus in Shenzhen. Chen Hsong prides itself in manufacturing all components bar electronic ones in-house. casting of platens and machining of screws included. “In this way we can control what raw materials go into our machines,” says C.K. Chiang, executive director of manufacturing and technology in Chen Hsong.

Wirecutter is the product recommendation service from The New York Times. Our journalists combine independent research with (occasionally) over-the-top testing so you can make quick and confident buying decisions. Whether it’s finding great products or discovering helpful advice, we’ll help you get it right (the first time).

Chen Hsong two-platen machines are selling extremely well in the market of late. The company reports 126 on order for delivery through to March 2017, including 700-tonne, 2200-tonne, and 3600-tonne units.

Snoring can be a sign of a serious health problem. But when it’s simply a disturbance, there are plenty of over-the-counter solutions. We tried six of them.

Glaros, too, warns against using over-the-counter mouth guards without consulting a professional, or over the long term. But he considers them potentially useful for protecting teeth in the short term: Just as you apply a bandage to protect skin, “you can use a mouth guard to protect your teeth” temporarily.

Readers have long asked us for recommendations of over-the-counter mouth guards for teeth grinding, as these are widely available and typically cost significantly less than mouth guards fitted by a professional (with or without dental or medical insurance coverage factored in). For weeks, we molded and used seven boil-and-bite (those you soften with hot water and then bite into for a “custom” fit) and four ready-to-wear nighttime mouth guards in an attempt to find the best options for most people. We then identified the over-the-counter mouth guards we like best. However, after speaking at length with multiple dentists, sleep specialists, and bruxism researchers, we learned that, in most cases, wearing a mouth guard is not enough to treat bruxism, and in some cases, it can actually cause additional harm, as our New York Times colleagues have reported on, as well.

“Customers who come to us nowadays are not asking for a machine with a specific clamping force. They are coming to us looking for a solution, be it in medical, automotive or other sectors,” Ringo Au, head of international sales for Chen Hsong. The company offers a variety of clamping unit and injection unit options for the SM-TP Series to cater to varying industry requirements: 14 clamping tonnages in all are available between 700 and 6500 tonnes and also 29 shot weights ranging between 1968 and 106,081 grams per cylinder (meaning the options are even more abundant when considering the Y-configuration permeations). The permeations for combining clamping and injection options are thus numerous.

When faced with a challenge from a processor requiring a shot weight of 110 kg, Chen Hsong turned to one of its large two-platen machines with a special modification. The solution was to configure a 6,500-tonne SM6500-TP injection molding machine with two parallel injection cylinders of 55 kg shot weight capacity each in a “Y” configuration.

Key performance attributes include a dry cycle time (according to the Euromap 6 standard) of 6.8 seconds for the 1900-tonne SM1900 injection machine, high concentricity of screw and barrel of 0.07 mm, and +0.1% injection precision by utilizing a specially-designed injection screw, and optimized hydraulic and control systems. Further, electric plastication employing a servo motor and gearbox  is offered as an option, which boasts 90% energy efficiency versus 77% for the efficiency of a hydraulic injection unit.

Another auto parts supplier is using two Chen Hsong two-platen machines, a SM1650 model and a SM1050 model, to mold seat backs for the Audi Q5 using a low-pressure injection technique. The machines use Chen Hsong’s extractable platen technology” to facilitate easy tooling changes.

If your jaw or neck feels sore after you wake up, you may be one of the millions of people suffering from sleep bruxism—when a person involuntarily clenches their jaw and grinds their teeth at night or during a nap. Though estimates differ, typically 10% to 16% of adults regularly suffer from sleep bruxism. But this has been no typical year: Pandemic-related stressors are associated with an uptick in not just tooth grinding and jaw clenching but also cracked teeth and other bruxism-associated dental problems.

Alan G. Glaros, a professor emeritus at the University of Missouri–Kansas City, agreed: “They’re usually spongy and soft, so people tend to chew them up quickly, and they kinda gnaw on them in addition to their regular grinding.”

All of the sleep headphones we tested fell short in some way, but we still have three recommendations for different uses and budgets.