WARREN, Mich. — McKeon Products Inc., a leading supplier in ear care and hearing protection, has made its entry into the oral care arena with an innovative nighttime mouth guard called the LunaGuard.

An ultra-thin dental protector, the LunaGuard is designed to mitigate the effects of bruxism, or nighttime teeth grinding.

McKeon president Dan Asma says the LunaGuard is the “thinnest and strongest” mouth guard on the market. “You can’t bite through it,” he adds.

What’s unique about the LunaGuard, according to Asma, is how it is fitted to conform inside the mouth. The thermal plastic material allows the user to dip the guard into hot — “not boiling” — water as many as 20 times until the perfect fit is achieved. Each time it is dipped in the water the guard flattens out again and is ready for another bite.

McKeon partnered with Jan Akervall, an oral surgeon and ENT specialist in Michigan, who invented the LunaGuard. “He was motivated to come up with the design for his oral surgery patients,” Asma says.

One of the key factors in the design, according to Asma, is the patented “diffusix” holes that diffuse the pressure from the jaw when it clenches at night. “All that pressure has to go somewhere,” Asma says. “The softer material of the Luna­Guard radiates through the jaw and eases the ­pressure.”

According to McKeon, it is estimated that up to 30% of all people experience grinding or clenching of their teeth. It can be frequent and severe enough to lead to damaged teeth, headaches and other problems, including facial pain.

Asma says LunaGuard provides consumers — “especially those without dental insurance” — a much more affordable and convenient option for nighttime teeth protection than going to a dental professional. Asma recommends changing the guard every six months — “for hygienic reasons as much as for anything else.”

LunaGuard retails for $44.99 and can be purchased at Discount Drug Mart, an Ohio-based drug chain with 72 stores, and online at target.com and drugstore.com.

Though McKeon’s main focus has been ear care, Asma says the company is looking at other ways to expand and diversify within the ear, nose and throat realm. “Our goal is to bring innovation to the marketplace,” he says, “not just be another ‘me too.’ ”