Custom Occlusal Splints & Dental Night Guards
Bruxism and TMD patients need appliances that actually get worn. American Dental Laboratory fabricates dental night guards and occlusal splints in hard, hard/soft, and semi-soft designs, each one custom-made to your prescribed bite in our Richardson, TX lab, with a remake rate consistently below 2%.
What is a dental splint
Dental splints stabilize teeth and jaws. They are prescribed for TMJ disorders, bruxism, and stabilizing teeth loosened by periodontal disease, working by redistributing occlusal forces, shielding teeth during grinding, and immobilizing areas that need to heal.
Splints come in three broad types: fixed (bonded in place), removable (taken out by the patient for cleaning), and occlusal, the removable appliances worn during sleep, better known as night guards. What is a night guard, then? It’s the occlusal splint most patients meet first: a barrier between the arches that protects dentition and takes strain off the jaw joints while they sleep.
A custom-fit dental night guard made to a prescribed bite is what separates lab work from boil-and-bite products. Generic guards create new interferences. Ours follows your bite registration.
Types of splints we offer
Hard Occlusal Splint
A fully rigid appliance, custom-designed to minimize TMJ pain and protect existing healthy dentition for bruxing patients. The rigid surface keeps the occlusal scheme stable, resists wear from heavy grinding, and gives you a repeatable bite platform for TMD management. Prescribe it for heavy bruxers, patients with TMD symptoms, and anyone who has ground through softer appliances.
- Available thicknesses: 1.5mm, 2.0mm, 2.5mm, 3.0mm, 4.0mm & 5.0mm
Hard/Soft Occlusal Splint
A double-layered design: rigid copolyester on the biting surface, cushioned liner against the teeth. Patients get the protection of a hard splint with the wearing comfort of a soft one, which is why this design wins on compliance. It also serves as a fluoride tray and general-purpose bruxism splint. Prescribe it for moderate grinders, first-time appliance wearers, and patients who abandoned a rigid guard for comfort reasons.
- Available thicknesses: 2.0mm, 4.0mm & 5.0mm
Semi-Soft Occlusal Splint
A flexible appliance that still protects dentition and helps ease TMJ pain, made for patients who won’t tolerate rigidity at all. The forgiving material makes seating easy and wear comfortable, at the cost of some durability under heavy parafunction. Prescribe it for light-to-moderate grinders, sensitive patients, and gaggers who reject bulkier appliances.
- Available thicknesses: 1.5mm, 2.5mm & 4.0mm
All three are formed from copolyester (PETG), made to your prescribed bite, and covered by a 1-year warranty.
Picking between hard and soft splints
The hard vs soft night guard question is about the patient, not the product. Heavy grinder who destroys appliances? Hard. Patient who quit their last guard because it felt bulky? The hard-soft night guard material gives them a soft surface against their teeth with a rigid biting surface, usually the compliance winner. Sensitive patient who won’t tolerate rigidity at all? Semi-soft.
Send us the case notes if you are torn; we will recommend.
Made digitally checked by hand
If you are comparing options for the best dental lab digital occlusal splints, here is our process in one line: your scan comes in from any major intraoral scanner, the appliance is designed digitally, formed in PETG, then verified against your bite registration before shipping.
- 10 days in the lab
- 98-99% delivered on time
- Remake rate consistently below 2%.
Request a Starter Kit
How to order
- Scan or take a traditional impression with a bite registration;download our Rx form.
- Note the design, arch, and thickness on the Rx, or leave it to us.
- Your splint arrives checked and ready to be seated via our portal.
An Appliance Your Patients Will Actually Wear
That’s the whole job of a night guard, and it’s what we’re built for. Send a case to get started.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ours are made of copolyester (PETG), a durable, biocompatible thermoplastic, formed as fully rigid, semi-soft, or dual-layer hard/soft depending on the design.
It can help manage it. By redistributing occlusal forces and reducing muscle strain from clenching, hard and semi-soft splints are commonly prescribed as part of TMD pain management.
B splint dental classifications come from CE programs like Spear Education, where our technicians are trained. Prescribe by that classification on your Rx, and we'll fabricate to the specified coverage and design.
Yes, along with a bite registration. The appliance is only as good as the bite it's made to, so both are worth the extra minute of chair time.
Typically, 2 to 5 years, depending on the design, thickness, and how heavily the patient grinds, far longer than boil-and-bite products. Materials and workmanship are covered by a 1-year warranty.