You cannot down play the importance of wearing a night guard if you are a person who grinds or clenches their teeth known as bruxism. We also recommend night guards on smile makeover patients to protect their investment in a new smile. Today we saw two different patients who were instructed to use their night guard to protect their teeth.  In one case the night guard was not being worn and the grinding habit was so profound that it was causing her front teeth to become loose.  Also, the trauma was so severe that it may have contributed to the need for a root canal on one of the front teeth.  In the other case the patient altered the night guard shape to make it fit better so she thought.  Unfortunately this created a misalignment in her bite.  Over time her teeth shifted to take on the new altered position created by the misshapen night guard.  This lead to having to replace existing crowns to re-align her bite and bring the teeth back into the correct position.  In our office our doctors stress the importance of wearing a night guard to help protect our patients from avoidable problems and keeping your teeth healthy.