1243 E Broadway Rd, Tempe AZ · (480) 449-09093433 E Ft Lowell Rd, Tucson AZ · (520) 795-7970
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PROCEDURE

occlusal guard

Dani Dental fabricates hard acrylic and dual-laminate occlusal guards with a 5-business-day standard turnaround from impression or intraoral scan receipt. Each guard is processed through a pressure-thermoform or heat-cure acrylic workflow depending on the clinical indication,...

  • Margins verified against your prescription
  • Pre-paid two-way shipping
  • Talk to the technician who built it
  • Full digital workflow

Every occlusal guard case at Dani Dental begins with prescription review before fabrication starts. The prescribing doctor selects material type and thickness on the Rx form or in the digital case notes attached to the intraoral scan. A technician flags any prescription-model mismatch within 24 hours of case intake, before a single sheet of material is pressed. That upstream communication step accounts for most of the guard cases that arrive at other labs and end up as remakes. For hard acrylic guards, we use a heat-cure pressure-pack acrylic workflow over a stone model poured from the impression or printed from the STL. The processed acrylic is trimmed, finished, and equilibrated to the opposing model. Every hard guard ships with the opposing model unless the doctor opts for in-office equilibration. The articulated equilibration is the detail most labs skip; it is also the detail that removes the first chair-time adjustment from the delivery appointment. Dual-laminate guards run through our Biostar pressure-thermoforming unit with a two-stage process: the soft inner layer is pressed and cooled, then the hard outer shell is pressed over it. The bond between layers is inspected under magnification before trimming. Any delamination at the edge before shipment gets the guard rebuilt, not patched. We do not ship patched guards. Soft EVA guards for lower bruxism severity or sports-adjacent indications are processed on the same Biostar unit at the appropriate sheet thickness, trimmed to the doctor's specified border extension, and polished to a smooth edge. If your practice sends a dual-arch impression for a lower guard and an opposing for articulation, we will mount both. If you send a single arch, we trim to the gingival border per standard protocol and note it on the case sheet so there is no ambiguity at delivery. All three pathways ship with the technician's direct line on the case card. If the fit is off, you call the technician who pressed the guard, not a general intake queue. Remake authorization takes one phone call, and replacement turnaround is 3 business days from the day the guard comes back to the lab. That is the communication commitment Dani Dental makes on every guard case.

HOW IT IS BUILT

From prescription to seated case.

01

Prescription in

Send a scan file or a model with your RX. A technician reads your intent before any design begins.

02

Design & verify

We design to your margin and occlusion, then verify the fit against your prescription before it ships.

03

Build at the bench

Milled, pressed, or hand-layered as the case calls for, finished by a named technician.

04

Back to your chair

Pre-paid shipping returns the case ready to seat, with the technician reachable if anything needs an adjustment.

This is our standard pipeline. The exact steps for occlusal guard are being detailed and will appear here.

MATERIALS

What goes in the mouth.

The material options for occlusal guard, from zirconia and lithium disilicate to hand-layered porcelain, are being written up. Ask for a Doctor Kit and a technician will talk through the right choice for your case.

CASE WORK

Judge the work on its result.

Before-and-after case work for occlusal guard is being photographed at the studio. The best proof is a case of your own. Send one and see the finish on your chair.

Send a case

COMMON QUESTIONS

What dentists ask about occlusal guard

What impression or digital scan formats does Dani Dental accept for occlusal guard cases?
We accept traditional PVS or alginate impressions shipped to the lab, as well as digital STL files from any major intraoral scanner including iTero, 3Shape Trios, and Medit. For digital cases, upload the STL through the Dani Dental case portal or email directly to your assigned technician. Stone models are poured in-house from physical impressions; there is no extra charge for the pour.
How do I choose between a hard acrylic guard, a dual-laminate guard, and a soft EVA guard?
Hard acrylic guards are the standard for moderate to severe bruxism and for patients who have fractured softer guards in the past. Dual-laminate guards offer a softer inner comfort layer with a rigid outer surface, which works well for patients who report discomfort with full-hard appliances. Soft EVA guards suit mild clenching or situations where the doctor prefers a non-rigid appliance. Note the clinical indication on the Rx and the technician will confirm material selection before fabrication.
What is the standard turnaround time and is rush processing available?
Standard turnaround is 5 business days from the day we receive a usable impression, mounted models, or an approved digital scan. Rush processing to 3 business days is available for an additional fee noted in the current fee schedule. Contact your technician by 10 a.m. Arizona time on the day of submission to confirm rush availability before scheduling the delivery appointment.
Does Dani Dental equilibrate hard guards to the opposing arch before shipment?
Yes. Every hard acrylic guard is equilibrated to the opposing model or opposing STL before it ships. The guard leaves the lab with anterior guidance checked and posterior contacts verified on the articulator. If you send a single-arch impression without an opposing, we trim to protocol and note it on the case card so the adjustment expectation is clear at delivery.
What is the remake policy if a guard does not seat correctly?
Call the technician whose name is on the case card. If the fit issue is a lab fabrication error, the remake is at no charge and ships within 3 business days of receiving the returned guard. We ask that the guard come back to the lab for inspection before fabricating the replacement; that step lets us identify whether the cause was a processing variable on our end or a model distortion issue that we should flag for the next case.
Can Dani Dental fabricate a guard for a patient with implant-supported crowns or significant existing restorations?
Yes. Note any implant crowns, cantilevers, or high-value ceramic restorations on the Rx so the technician adjusts contact loading accordingly. For full-arch implant cases, we typically recommend a hard acrylic guard with lighter-than-standard posterior contacts on the implant-supported units, with the final occlusal scheme confirmed by the prescribing doctor before we ship.
Does Dani Dental offer nightguards with anterior deprogrammer designs, such as an NTI-style or flat-plane anterior only design?
We fabricate flat-plane anterior deprogrammers and modified anterior bite planes on request. These are prescription-specific designs; detail the coverage and contact geometry on the Rx form or call the technician before submitting the case. Anterior-only designs fall under the same 5-business-day standard turnaround and the same remake policy as full-arch guards.
How is billing handled for occlusal guard cases, and is there a volume pricing tier for practices that send guards regularly?
Occlusal guard cases are billed per unit at the rates in the current Dani Dental fee schedule, which is available on request or through the case portal. Practices submitting 10 or more guard cases per month qualify for a volume pricing conversation with the account team. There is no long-term contract required; volume pricing is reviewed quarterly based on actual submission volume.

REQUEST A DOCTOR KIT

Send us a occlusal guard case.

Request a Doctor Kit and we will mail RX pads, a shade guide, and pre-paid shipping. Run your first cases through the studio and judge the result on your own chair.

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