The first stage in the fabrication of your Dental Guard Labs nightguard is taking an impression of your teeth. Using our impression kit, this is a simple task that can be performed at home. When you place an order for a nightguard, we will ship the impression kit directly to your home. After taking your impression, you can return them to us using the prepaid return label included in the impression kit. 

A perfect first impression is where your road to a healthier smile begins. Your teeth's impression is used to create nightguards that are customized for your mouth. The more accurate your impression, the more comfortable your nightguard will fit over your teeth.

This step-by-step guide will help you develop the model we require. Before beginning, you should read the full instructions, as some procedures are dependent on the correct completion of the preceding steps.

STEP 1: Observe the Time

Make sure you have anything you can use to keep track of time before you take your impressions. It's crucial to make sure you're not taking too long because you need to take your impression promptly. You only need something that you can use to count seconds and minutes; your phone or a watch will work great.

STEP 2: Brush Your Teeth and Wash Your Hands

Brush your teeth, floss, and rinse immediately before taking your at-home dental impression. Food can get trapped in your teeth and enter your dental impression. That could perplex the personnel working on your nightguard. Is that a tooth bump? A kernel of popcorn? Your team will be unaware, which may make your nightguard less effective and less comfortable.

Carefully clean your hands, then prepare to take the impression. This is necessary to provide a clean procedure and prevent contamination of the putty you will use. 

STEP 3: Verify that the Impression Trays are Compatible

Before taking impressions, it is vital to ensure that the impression trays fit your mouth properly. If they do not fit, you can contact us and we will deliver trays of the appropriate size. Without placing anything in the trays, place them in your mouth by aiming towards the center of the tray and ensuring they are not too loose or too tight. The tray's walls MUST not irritate the teeth. The tray MUST encompass all teeth, including the molars. Check both the lower and upper trays and send an email to [email protected] if you require sizes that are not provided. You will only be taking ONE teeth impression of the upper or lower whichever the nightguard will be worn on.

STEP 4: Mix and Sculpt Impression Putties

Now your phone or watch can serve as a useful timer. Your impression kit includes white putty and colored putty that must be combined. Blend a jar of white putty with one of the colored putties until they are uniformly combined. Try to complete this task in less than 30 seconds. Once there are no streaks and the color is solid, roll the putty between your palms to form a sausage shape. It should be sufficient length to reach both ends of the impression tray. Make sure that the sausage covers the entire tray and its edges when placing it in the tray. This should take no longer than 15 seconds.

STEP 5: Align and Push to Take Impression

You have putty in your tray and are prepared to complete this action:

-Align. Place the tray in your mouth and aim for the center of the tray to take an impression.

-Holding the base of the tray and keeping it level, PUSH THE TRAY WITH EACH THUMB WITH EQUAL FORCE ON EACH SIDE OF THE TRAY INTO YOUR UPPER TEETH FIRMLY AND DEEPLY IN ONE EVEN MOTION. The putty should go past the teeth to cover the gums.

Stop before the bottom of your teeth hit the tray.

-Don't bite and relax your mouth and lips. You may be tempted to use your jaw strength to press down on the trays. Resist the temptation! Biting pushes your teeth to the bottom of the trays, which reduces the accuracy of your impressions.

-If taking lower teeth impression, use the tips of the index fingers to PUSH STRAIGHT DOWN ON THE BOTTOM OF THE TRAY WITH EQUAL FORCE ON EACH SIDE.

-TAKE ONLY ONE TEETH IMPRESSION OF THE UPPER OR LOWER WHICHEVER THE NIGHT GUARD WILL BE WORN ON.

STEP 6: Watch the Clock

It takes time for the putty to harden before you remove your teeth. If you remove the trays too soon, you may have a distorted impression. 

Time yourself for 3 minutes. Keep in mind that this is an important step toward a precisely fit nightguard. Patience is essential.

STEP 7: Control Your Gag Reflex

The putty will push against the top of your mouth and into the back of your throat if you are taking the impression of the

upper teeth. You may feel the urge to gag or choke. Prepare for it and act accordingly. You can lower your gag reflex by:

-Maintaining an upright posture. If your head is pointed toward the ceiling, saliva will not run down the back of your throat.

-If you still feel like you're going to gag, place your feet on the floor and tilt your head toward the floor.

-Taking control of your breathing. Concentrate on inhaling through your nose for ten counts.

-Distracting your attention. If you remove your attention from your mouth, the sensation may subside.

STEP 8: Remove and Check Your Impression

Remove the tray by pulling it down or up. It's normal for it to feel tight. Rock it gently to make it easier to remove. CHECK YOUR IMPRESSION! You should see clear detailed outlines of all your teeth and it should be deep enough to see the gum lines. There should also be no distortion and teeth marks should NOT TOUCH THE PLASTIC TRAY WALLS. If you're unsure of the impression quality in any way, we urge you to email pictures for verification. We'll take a look and if you need to take another, simply use the backup putty by removing the impression material from the tray and repeating the process. Otherwise, rinse with cool water and let sit for 10 minutes to allow it to dry and completely harden. DO NOT REMOVE IMPRESSION FROM THE PLASTIC TRAY BEFORE SENDING IT OUT

STEP 9: Mail Impression to the Lab

Choose the nightguard on the selection form, sign the back and mail back the following:

-SELECTION CARD (both sides filled out)

-YOUR IMPRESSION (do not remove from tray)

What happens next?

-We receive and create your nightguard. (5-7 days)

-We ship your custom nightguard. (3 days)

IMPORTANT: Don't forget to fill out the consent and selection form. We cannot create your nightguard unless we receive these.