I got a mouthguard fitted to help with stress-related grinding

Each fortnight, Stephanie Darling road tests a different make-up, skincare or wellness trend to find out whether it’s worth your time.

I have been reading about the surge in teeth grinding, clenching, breakage and jaw pain as a result of increased stress associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, which reminded me to update my rather ancient protective teeth splint.

The lowdown My ageing, customised upper-mouth splint (to prevent my upper and lower teeth from cracking with severe clenching) is looking much the worse for wear. So, I am with dentist Andy Kumar to cast a mould for a freshly minted plate.

The process is very straightforward: Kumar coats my upper teeth with a setting gel to take an impression of my teeth and then, once it has set, peels the mould off. From this a bespoke mouthguard is made.

Pain factor None really, except my highly developed gag reflex is at full throttle while the mould is setting.

Loading

Downtime Sixty minutes.

Results A pristine splint for my upper teeth. In the past, I tended to be very lax about wearing the guard. But since Kumar showed me the hairline cracks I’ve developed from clenching my teeth during the night, I’ve become a zealot and never sleep without it.

Where to get it