This is a common observation that patients have when they wake up in the morning or when they insert the splint at night. In my practice, I make night guards and occlusal splints out of hard acrylic and cover all the teeth in the upper jaw. Since the teeth can move while in function during the day, once the guard is inserted it restores them to their original position or if the teeth move very slightly during the night, once the guard is removed, they will return to their original postition.
On the other hand, patients wearing smaller night guards that don’t cover an entire arch can have permanent changes in their bite. Since when the teeth are separated by the night guard those without support move and will come out of the bone, trying to meet their matching teeth in the other jaw. Once the partial guard is removed, the front teeth usually remain separated.
If you are experiencing more than a temporary shifting of your bite, please come and see us for an examination, since you may need a different type of night guard.