In early 2021 we created a simple proof-of-concept to test if a smart wearable can be used to nudge people to stop grinding teeth in their sleep.
We conducted this proof-of-concept test to collect feedback from real users and to see if vibration signal – in the form of a vibrating wristband that gets triggered as soon as audible loud teeth grinding is detected – can reduce teeth grinding without reducing users’ sleep quality.
Noninvasive solution created by and for chronic teeth grinders
My partner (Gabriel) and I came upon this idea sometime in 2020 to help both of us sleep better.
Being a chronic teeth grinder myself, I am constantly worried about the long-term impact of my constant teeth grinding on my teeth and my jaw joints. I noticed I always had difficulties opening my mouth in the morning, and sometimes I could hear clicks in my jaw joints. They sounded worrisome! I tried many different types of mouth guards: custom-fitted, soft, hard, mixed layers, different thicknesses, full coverage, mixed coverage, you name it. But I could never sleep well with a guard on. I always end up waking up groggy with painful gum and teeth and a super dry mouth. But if I didn’t wear my mouth guard, he would be wakened up constantly by my loud teeth grinding sound.
We came up with the idea of a non-invasive bedside sensor that can alert me when I start grinding my teeth in my sleep. I tried using the first prototype at the end of 2020 and saw marked improvements after two months of wearing it. I went from ~20+ episodes per night to less than 5, and Gabriel was no longer wakened up by my teeth grinding. So we decided maybe others can benefit from this as well.
What’s the proof-of-concept test about?
In the test, we selected 12 loud teeth grinders (based on whether or not someone had heard them grind their teeth in the past) to use the device for a total of 6-7 weeks. They are recruited from Facebook, Reddit, etc. In the first week, they used the device without the vibration so we could get a baseline measurement of their teeth grinding frequency and duration.
Afterwards we turned on the vibration for 4 weeks, before turning it back off again for another week. Users didn’t know the exact night when the vibration was turned on to minimize the placebo effect.
We found that vibration reduces the duration of teeth grinding episodes by an average of 49%. It also shows signs of reducing the frequency of the teeth grinding episodes each night for some people, but not for all. In half of the group, the reduction in teeth grinding remains for a few days / weeks after the vibration is turned off.
We also asked participants to rate their sleep quality every morning and found that the vibration does not reduce their sleep quality in the long term. They might experience slight disturbance in the first couple of days, but quickly bounced back from it. In general, we found that participants didn’t even notice that they were receiving vibration feedback at night.
This was consistent with our prediction as teeth grinding episodes tend to happen during the sleep arousal phase in light sleep. Our sleeping brains sense the vibration, which interrupts the teeth grinding episode and resumes the sleep cycle. Most of the times, they didn’t remember any of this in the morning.
What do they like about the wearable?
Our beta participants love the fact that the device can nudge them to stop grinding while they’re asleep, instead of simply covering their teeth with night guards.
They also like the simplicity, convenience, and effortlessness of this non-invasive device. All they need to do is place the sensor next to their bed and wear the wristband every night. No fuss, no discomfort, no cleaning (I mean really, who likes wearing and cleaning their mouth guard, anyway?).
Participants also appreciate being able to see their nightly (audible) teeth grinding data. This allows them to get a sense of when they grind the most and track their progress over time.
This sounds great! What happened next?
We were planning a crowdfunding campaign for this initial prototype. But we found that the prototype was not scalable for mass market, and would not work for a large percentage of chronic teeth grinders & clenchers who do not produce loud grinding sounds.
We ended up going back to the lab and started developing different concepts using the findings we gathered from this proof-of-concept test. One year later, we came up with SOVN, an in-ear wearable that tracks your jaw movement from the ear and emits gentle vibration and sound to interrupt grinding or clenching.
Compared to its predecessor, SOVN is a more elegant & versatile solution that can help a lot more people – grinders and clenchers alike. We’re now testing our final prototype internally and hope to start shipping the first units to our early customers in 2025, before opening up to our whole waitlist soon after! Sign up with your email now to get early access.
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