Preventative Care.
Somerset West.
The cheapest dental work is the work you never have to do. A simple custom guard can prevent teeth wear caused by grinding, take pressure off a sore jaw, prevent sports accidents from fracturing a front tooth or teeth, or prevent loud snoring at night.
Small Devices, Big Difference.
A lot of dental problems start small. A bit of night-time grinding that wears down the bite surfaces of the teeth. A jaw that aches in the morning and you put it down to a bad night. A sporting accident that fractures a front tooth. Snoring that keeps your partner awake.
A custom guard or device sorts that out. We scan your mouth, take a digital impression & design an appliance to wear when you need to. It is one of those small things that ends up saving you a lot of dental work and a lot of money down the line.
Why Patients Choose Dr. Slabber for Their Oral Appliances.
Custom fit, the right design for what you actually need, and someone who has experience.
Made From a Digital Scan
We use an in-house intra oral scanner to take a digital picture of your teeth. No tray of putty in your mouth. The scan goes to the lab and a custom made appliance is designed and fitted.
The Right Guard for the Right Problem
A nightguard is different from a biteplate, and neither is the same as a sports guard. We diagnose the situation, then we choose the design. Incorrect design can make things worse, so this part matters.
35+ Years of Practice
Dr. Slabber has experience in this field for 35+ years. Every case is unique & needs a specific solution.
Custom
Nightguards.
A nightguard is a thin custom cover that sits over your teeth while you sleep. It absorbs the force of grinding and clenching, so your teeth, your fillings and your jaw joint take less of a beating each night.
Three Levels of Protection
Signs you might need one
A sore jaw in the morning, headaches around the temples, flat tooth edges, chipped fillings, or a partner who hears the grinding at night.
What to expect
A quick scan at the first visit, then you collect the finished guard a week or two later. Most patients sleep with it without any issue after a few nights.
Biteplate.
For Your Jaw.
A biteplate is a firmer plate, custom built to hold your jaw in a position that takes pressure off the joint and the muscles. It helps with clicking, locking, muscle pain around the jaw, and tension headaches that come from a tight bite.
Settles a sore jaw
Holding the jaw in a relaxed position lets the muscles around the joint calm down, often within a few weeks.
Helps with clicking and locking
If your jaw clicks when you eat or locks open and shut, a biteplate is usually the first step before any bigger treatment.
Lowers tension headaches
A lot of morning headaches come from clenching at night. A biteplate cuts the pressure and the headaches often ease off.
Worn at night or in flare-ups
Most patients wear it overnight. If you have a bad week, you can wear it during the day for a few hours too.
Custom
Gum Guards.
One knock to the face can chip a front tooth or knock it out. A custom gum guard sits over your teeth and gums, soaks up the hit, and saves you a lot of dental work. It also fits so well that you can talk and breathe with it in.
Custom fit, not boil-and-bite
Shop guards are bulky and fall out. A custom one fits only your teeth, so it stays put when you are running, tackling or fighting.
For rugby, hockey, boxing, MMA
Anything where a hand, foot, stick or shoulder could hit your face. School sport counts too. A chipped front tooth at thirteen is expensive forever.
Pick your colour
Plain clear, team colours, school colours, mouth-of-fire designs. Kids especially love picking the look.
Replace every season or two
Sports guards take a beating, and growing kids change shape. We check the fit at your regular visit and let you know when it is time for a new one.
Anti-Snoring
Devices.
Most snoring comes from a narrow airway at the back of the throat. A small custom device gently holds your lower jaw a little forward while you sleep, which opens that airway up. The noise drops, your sleep gets better, and your partner stops poking you in the ribs.
Who It Helps Most
Not Every Snorer Is the Same
Heavy snoring with pauses in breathing can be a sign of serious sleep apnoea, and that needs a proper sleep study and sometimes a CPAP machine. We will tell you honestly whether the device is the right answer for you, or whether you should see a sleep doctor first.
Which Device Is Right for You?
A starting point for the conversation. Dr. Slabber will look at your mouth and confirm the right call at your visit.
| Your Situation | Likely Option | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Waking up with a sore jaw or headache | Nightguard | Takes the force of night-time grinding off the teeth and the jaw joint |
| Worn down or flat-looking teeth | Nightguard | Stops the wear from going further while we plan what to do next |
| Jaw clicking, locking or muscle pain | Biteplate | Holds the jaw in a position that lets the muscles and joint settle |
| Playing rugby, hockey or contact sport | Custom gum guard | Protects front teeth and lips from a knock to the face |
| Child or teen in school sport | Custom gum guard | Better fit, lower chance of injury than a shop guard |
| Loud snoring, partner unhappy | Anti-snoring device | Opens the airway at night to lower the noise |
| Mild to moderate sleep apnoea | Anti-snoring device | An option to a CPAP machine for the lighter cases |
| Cracking restorations or chipped teeth | Nightguard | Often a sign of unnoticed grinding, the guard saves the dental work |
How It Works.
Three simple steps from your first call to a guard that fits only you.
Book a Visit
Call us, send a WhatsApp, or use the form. The team will find a time and confirm everything with you.
Chat and Scan
Dr. Slabber asks a few questions, looks at your teeth and your jaw, then takes a quick digital scan of your mouth. No putty, no fuss.
Collect and Fit
You come back to collect the finished guard. We check the fit, make small tweaks if needed, and show you how to wear and clean it.
Ready to protect your teeth and your sleep?
Broken Guard or Lost Device?
We can repair, refit or replace. Give us a call today.
What our patients say.
Real experiences from our Somerset West community, reflecting our commitment to clinical excellence and gentle care.
Preventative Questions.
Most people who grind their teeth do not feel themselves doing it. The signs to watch for are a sore jaw in the morning, headaches when you wake up, worn-down flat tooth edges, sensitive teeth, or a partner who hears the noise at night. If any of that sounds familiar, a nightguard is worth a chat.
A nightguard is a soft or semi-soft cover that sits over your teeth at night to absorb the force of grinding. A biteplate is a firmer plate that holds your jaw in a specific position to take pressure off the joint. Nightguards are mainly for tooth protection, biteplates are for jaw and muscle problems. Some patients need one, some need the other.
You can, but the boil-and-bite ones from the shop are bulky, fit poorly, and often make the problem worse. A guard that does not sit right can shift your bite and put new strain on your jaw. The custom guards we make are thin, fit only your teeth, and last much longer than a shop one.
Most patients are comfortable within a week. The first few nights feel strange because there is something in your mouth that was not there before, and you might make a bit more saliva. By night three or four, most people forget they are wearing it.
If you play rugby, hockey, boxing, mixed martial arts, or anything where a knock to the face is possible, yes. A single knock can chip or knock out a front tooth, and the dental work to fix that runs into many thousands of rands. A custom gum guard is the cheapest insurance you will buy.
It is a small custom device, a bit like a guard, that gently holds your lower jaw forward while you sleep. That opens up the airway at the back of your throat, which is where most snoring noise comes from. For mild to moderate snoring this works well and avoids needing a machine or surgery.
If your snoring is part of mild to moderate sleep apnoea, the device can make a real difference. For severe sleep apnoea you usually need a CPAP machine or a referral to a sleep doctor. We will be honest with you about which group you fall into and what is likely to help.
A nightguard or biteplate lasts between three and five years on average, sometimes longer with gentle use. Sports gum guards take a beating, so we recommend replacing them every season or two. Anti-snoring devices last several years. We check the fit at your regular check-ups.
Rinse it under cool water after each use, then brush it gently with a soft brush and mild soap. Avoid hot water and normal toothpaste, both can damage the surface. Store it in its case when it is out of your mouth, away from pets. We will show you the full routine at your fitting.
Often, yes. Many medical aids cover nightguards, biteplates, sports guards and anti-snoring devices, especially when there is a clinical reason for them. The cover varies between plans. Our team can help you check the details with your medical aid before you commit.
A small device.
A big saving down the line.
Whether it is grinding, a sore jaw, a sports knock, or snoring that is keeping the household awake, there is a simple device that sorts it out.