The headache started around 10am, like it always did.
Not the sharp, sudden kind that makes you wince. More like a dull, persistent throb that settled behind my temples and just... stayed there. I'd down a glass of water, assuming dehydration. Roll my shoulders, blaming my desk setup. Take some paracetamol and push through until lunch.
It wasn't until I was sitting in a budget review meeting, stress levels at maximum, that I caught myself: my jaw was clenched so tightly my back teeth were grinding together. I consciously relaxed, and the relief was immediate but also revealing. How long had I been doing that?
That evening, I stood in front of the bathroom mirror and pressed my fingers along my jawline. Tender. Proper tender, like a bruise. And that's when it clicked: the morning stiffness, the unexplained headaches, the way my face always felt... tense.
I wasn't just stressed. I was grinding my teeth.
Why I Started Looking for a Night Guard
Looking back, I'd been living with the symptoms for months without connecting them.
Every single morning, I'd wake up with this tight, locked feeling in my jaw. Not painful exactly, but uncomfortable like my face hadn't quite woken up yet. I'd spend the first twenty minutes of my day unconsciously working my jaw side to side, trying to loosen it up whilst making coffee.
Then there were the headaches. Persistent, low-grade, settling in around mid-morning and lingering until mid-afternoon. I'd blamed screens, blamed posture, blamed the fluorescent lighting in our office. Never once considered my jaw might be the culprit.
The tenderness in my teeth was another clue I'd ignored. Sometimes when I bit down on something, a piece of toast, an apple, my molars would feel sensitive, almost bruised. I'd assumed it was general tooth sensitivity and bought special toothpaste that did precisely nothing.
But it was that budget meeting that made everything click into place. I was stressed, properly stressed, the kind where your shoulders migrate up to your ears and I realised my jaw was completely locked. Not just clenched, but rigid. When I finally relaxed it, the ache that bloomed along my jawline was shocking.
I started paying attention after that. During another intense work session, clenched. Sitting in traffic, clenched. Reading a difficult email, clenched. If I was doing this unconsciously all day, what was happening at night when I had zero control?
How I Knew I Was Grinding My Teeth at Night
The real wake-up call came about a week later.
I woke up one Thursday morning and literally couldn't open my mouth properly. My jaw felt locked on the right side, a sharp, shooting pain running up towards my ear when I tried to yawn. I had to gently massage it for several minutes before it loosened enough to function.
That was terrifying, honestly. The idea that my jaw could just... stop working properly. That whatever I was doing at night was causing actual physical damage.
I did what any millennial does when mildly panicked about a health issue: I googled it during my lunch break. "Jaw pain morning," "tight jaw waking up," "teeth feel bruised." Every search led me to the same answer: bruxism. Teeth grinding.
The NHS website was particularly enlightening and alarming. Grinding can wear down enamel, crack teeth, cause chronic jaw disorders (TMJ, which sounded properly grim), damage existing dental work, and lead to persistent headaches. Brilliant. I was essentially attacking my own teeth in my sleep.
I'd spent a small fortune on my teeth over the years, two crowns, regular hygienist appointments, the works. The thought of grinding through all that investment while unconscious was genuinely distressing.
Every article mentioned nightguards as the standard protective solution. Not a cure, grinding is usually caused by stress, and I wasn't about to quit my job or develop suddenly zen-like calmness but a way to protect teeth from damage whilst you work on managing the underlying causes.
It made sense. Practical, preventative, something I could actually do right now rather than waiting for my stress levels to magically decrease (which, given my job in marketing, seemed unlikely in the near future).
Choosing the Right Night Guard for Me
I wanted something straightforward that didn't require adding more appointments to my calendar.
The traditional route of getting a custom nightguard made at the dentist sounded ideal in theory: perfectly fitted, professionally created. But it also meant booking appointments, having impressions taken, waiting weeks for them to be made, then going back for fitting adjustments. And the cost was eye-watering, easily over a hundred pounds.
As someone who genuinely struggles to find time for a haircut, the logistics felt overwhelming. I needed something I could sort out now, this week, without complicated scheduling.
The OPRO Nightguard kept appearing in my research. What caught my attention was that I could get a custom fit at home without the dental appointments, you mould it yourself in a few minutes using boiling water. Simple, quick, and I could order it online and start using it within days.
OPRO's background gave me confidence too. They're a UK company founded by a dentist, Dr. Anthony Lovat, and they've been making protective mouthguards for over 30 years used by professional rugby players and other athletes who need serious tooth protection.
Week 1 - What It's Like Wearing a Night Guard for the First Time
The moulding process was easier than I expected.
The instructions were clear: boil water, submerge the nightguard for the specified time, let it cool slightly, then bite down firmly to mould it to your teeth. I stood in my kitchen with a timer running, feeling oddly nervous about getting it right on the first attempt.
I did get it right. The guard moulded to my upper teeth, settling snugly along the contours. When I took it out and examined it, I could see clear impressions of my teeth in the material.
Wearing it to bed that first night felt different, I'll be honest.
There's definitely an adjustment when you first put something in your mouth before sleep - it's new, you're aware of it, your tongue naturally investigates it a bit. But it wasn't uncomfortable or intrusive, just... there. Like wearing a retainer for the first time, or getting used to a new pillow.
I'd read reviews saying most people adjust within a few nights, so I wasn't too worried. And actually, within about twenty minutes of settling into bed and reading for a bit, I'd pretty much stopped noticing it. The custom moulding meant it sat snugly against my teeth rather than feeling loose or awkward.
When my alarm went off the next morning, the nightguard was still firmly in place - and I'd slept straight through without even thinking about it.
More importantly: my jaw felt different. Not transformed, but definitely less tight than usual. That locked, clenched sensation I normally woke up with? Noticeably reduced. I could open my mouth properly without needing to work through stiffness first.
The rest of Week 1 was about building the habit. Some nights I adapted quickly; others I'd lie awake for a bit, hyperaware of the guard. By night six or seven, though, putting it in had become automatic, just another part of my bedtime routine alongside washing my face and setting my alarm.
Week 2 - Does a Night Guard Actually Stop Teeth Grinding?
By the second week, wearing the nightguard felt completely normal. I'd pop it in before bed and barely think about it.
The morning changes were becoming properly noticeable. I was waking up without that horrible jaw tension I'd lived with for so long. My face just felt... neutral. Relaxed. The way it presumably should feel when you haven't spent eight hours unconsciously clenching.
Those mid-morning headaches? Happening far less frequently. They hadn't disappeared entirely, I still work in a high-pressure marketing role with impossible deadlines but the dull, persistent ache that used to settle behind my temples most days had significantly reduced.
My teeth felt different too. That strange tenderness when biting down on food had gone. My molars didn't feel bruised or sensitive anymore. I could eat an apple without wincing, which sounds trivial but genuinely improved my daily experience.
I was also sleeping more soundly. I'm not entirely sure if the nightguard itself helped, or if it was psychological, the relief of knowing I was protecting my teeth but I was waking up less during the night and feeling more genuinely rested in the mornings.
An unexpected benefit emerged too: heightened awareness of my jaw during the day. I'd be sitting at my desk and suddenly notice I was clenching, then consciously relax. It was like the nightguard had tuned me into a frequency I'd been ignoring for years. That daytime awareness might have been as valuable as the nighttime protection.
Week 3 - What I Learned About My Grinding Habits
Around Week 3, I started recognising patterns.
On particularly stressful days, big client presentations, tight deadline crunches, difficult conversations with senior management, my jaw would be noticeably tighter by evening. I could feel the tension building throughout the day, and even with the nightguard protecting my teeth at night, I could sense my jaw had been working overtime.
Coffee was definitely a contributing factor. On days when I'd consumed four or five cups (yes, I know that's excessive), the jaw tension seemed worse. I couldn't prove this scientifically, but I could feel the correlation. I experimented with cutting back, limiting myself to two proper coffees and switching to herbal tea in the afternoon.
Did it help? Maybe marginally. Was I less functional? Definitely. But the jaw tension did seem fractionally better on lower-caffeine days, so perhaps there was something to it.
I also started noticing other triggers: long periods hunched over my laptop, tense phone calls, even intense exercise sessions seemed to increase jaw clenching. It was fascinating and slightly depressing to realise just how much my body was holding stress in my jaw.
The important realisation was this: the nightguard wasn't stopping the grinding impulse or fixing my stress. What it was doing was protecting my teeth from the consequences of those habits. Like wearing a helmet while learning to cycle, it doesn't make you a better cyclist, but it prevents serious injury whilst you're developing the skill.
Week 4 - My Results After 30 Days of Wearing a Night Guard Every Night
Thirty days in, the results were clear and measurable.
My mornings had completely transformed. No more waking with a locked jaw. No more spending the first twenty minutes working stiffness out of my face. No more tender teeth or that bruised feeling in my molars. I'd just wake up, and my jaw would feel... normal.
The headaches had reduced dramatically. They hadn't vanished entirely, stress doesn't disappear just because you're wearing a nightguard but the persistent, low-grade headaches that used to plague my mid-mornings were now rare rather than routine.
My face felt softer, if that makes sense. Less perpetually tense. I hadn't realised how much chronic tension I'd been carrying in my jaw until it wasn't there anymore. Even my shoulders felt less tight, which I suspect was connected everything's linked when it comes to tension.
The OPRO Nightguard itself was holding up perfectly. I'd established a solid cleaning routine: quick rinse every morning after removing it, proper brush with toothpaste a couple of times a week, stored in its protective case. It still fitted comfortably and showed no signs of wear despite presumably absorbing significant grinding force every night.
Most importantly, I had genuine peace of mind. My teeth were protected. I wasn't lying awake anxious about grinding through my enamel or cracking a crown. It was one less health worry occupying mental space, which given my generally anxious nature was genuinely valuable.
Before and After: What Changed When I Started Using a Night Guard
The contrast between day one and day thirty was striking:
Before:
- Woke every morning with locked, tight jaw requiring conscious effort to loosen
- Persistent mid-morning headaches 4-5 times per week
- Tender, bruised-feeling teeth when biting down
- Constantly clenching jaw during work without realizing
- Face felt perpetually tense and tight
- Genuine anxiety about long-term dental damage
- Zero awareness of grinding triggers or patterns
After:
- Waking with relaxed, comfortable jaw
- Headaches reduced to maybe once per week
- No tooth tenderness or sensitivity
- Actively aware when clenching and able to consciously stop
- Face feels noticeably softer and less tense
- Protected teeth and significantly reduced anxiety
- Clear understanding of stress and caffeine patterns
The Biggest Surprises from My 30-Day Night Guard Trial
The speed of improvement genuinely shocked me. I'd expected gradual changes over weeks, but the reduction in morning jaw pain happened within the first three or four days. It wasn't subtle, it was immediate and obvious.
The increased daytime awareness surprised me too. I'd thought a nightguard would only help at night, but it somehow made me hyperconscious of my jaw habits during the day. That knock-on effect has probably been as valuable as the nighttime protection itself. I'm now catching myself clenching during stressful moments and actively stopping, which feels like genuine progress.
The comfort level after the initial adjustment period was better than anticipated. I'd worried it would feel intrusive or annoying, but after the first few nights, I barely noticed it. The custom moulding really does make a difference, it fits properly rather than feeling like a foreign object.
One challenge I hadn't anticipated: remembering it when travelling. I went to a conference in Edinburgh during week three and completely forgot to pack the nightguard. Those two nights without it, the jaw tension came roaring back, tight, locked, uncomfortable. It was frustrating but also validating. It proved definitively that the nightguard was making a real, measurable difference, not just placebo effect.
Is a Night Guard Worth It? My Honest Review
Here's the straightforward truth: does a night guard actually help with grinding? For me, absolutely yes.
The OPRO Nightguard delivered exactly what it promised: protected my teeth from grinding damage and eliminated the morning jaw pain and tension I'd been experiencing for months. It didn't cure my stress or fix my caffeine dependency, those remain my problems to address, but it gave me an effective, practical tool to prevent the physical consequences of those habits.
What genuinely worked:
- Dramatic reduction in jaw pain and morning stiffness
- Significant decrease in headaches
- Straightforward home moulding process
- Comfortable to wear after brief adjustment period
- Increased awareness of grinding triggers
- Reasonable price compared to dentist-made alternatives
- Genuine peace of mind about protecting teeth
Honest limitations:
- Takes 3-4 nights to feel completely normal wearing it
- Requires consistent cleaning to stay fresh
- Doesn't address root causes like stress or caffeine intake
- Easy to forget when travelling unless you're methodical
Would I recommend it? If you're waking up with jaw tension, experiencing unexplained headaches, noticing tooth sensitivity, or worried about grinding damage, then yes. Absolutely.
Thirty days ago, I was sceptical about whether a piece of moulded plastic would make any real difference to my daily discomfort.
Thirty days later, the nightguard sits on my bedside table, and putting it in before sleep is as automatic as setting my alarm. My mornings are pain-free, my headaches are rare, and I have one less health anxiety taking up mental space.
If you've been ignoring jaw pain or putting off addressing teeth grinding because it seems complicated or not quite "serious enough" yet, I'd encourage you to try something before it gets worse. Your jaw and your general wellbeing will genuinely thank you for it.
Waking up without pain is a surprisingly lovely way to start the day. Who knew?
About the Author
Sarah Mitchell, Marketing Manager and OPRO customer
