Dental night guards help keep you from grinding your teeth at night and help to reduce damage caused by grinding your teeth at night. If you’ve ever woken up with jaw pain from nighttime teeth grinding, then you may be suffering from something known as bruxism. If so, you’ll want to ask your dentist about getting a night guard. Many patients are unaware of grinding or clenching teeth at night until it’s brought up by their partner or dentist.
During your routine dental checkup, your dentist will be able to spot worn enamel, tooth fractures, and other signs of teeth grinding. Keep reading to learn how a night guard for teeth grinding could change your life. For more information, schedule an appointment with your dentist today.
Bruxism is the medical term for teeth grinding. Most people don’t know they have bruxism until they start experiencing jaw pain, headaches, and TMJ disorders.
It may sound crazy, but people often grind their teeth loud enough to wake up a partner.
Bruxism is often hard to pin down as to what causes it, but here are a few of its common correlations:
Although these are broad categories, understanding bruxism may help you prevent it. When it comes to caffeine, it’s usually because you have too much in your system before going to bed, which makes your body restless in the night and causes it to burn energy by grinding your teeth.
The other big factors are stress and anxiety. Stress and anxiety are linked to countless health problems, and sometimes thinking about stress and anxiety gives people more stress and anxiety.
We want to encourage you to take a deep breath. Now take another.
If you think your bruxism may be linked to stress or anxiety, whether that’s because of work, relationships, or economics, try to spend at least ten minutes a night--before you go to bed--practicing healthy meditation techniques. These often include strategies like mindfulness meditation and concentration meditation.
If you are unsure if you’re suffering from bruxism or not, here are a few of the most common symptoms of bruxism:
Teeth grinding overworks your jaw muscles so you wake up feeling sore. If left untreated, bruxism can wear down tooth enamel until you need porcelain crowns or other tooth restorations to repair your smile.
The sooner you get a night guard to protect your smile, the better your chances you have of avoiding expensive dental procedures and uncomfortable daily pains.
A night guard is a removable insert that forms a protective layer between your upper and lower teeth so you can’t bite down or clench your jaw while you sleep.
During your first appointment with your dentist, they should take dental impressions and send them to the lab where your dental guard will be made. When you come back to the office, your night guard will be ready.
Your dentist may make slight adjustments to the fit so you can breathe and sleep comfortably while wearing your night mouth guard.
Aside from saving you from annoying pains, discomfort, and disturbing a partner, a sleeping mouth guard will save you money in the long run because you’ll be able to avoid expensive restorative dentistry.
If left untreated, the forces exerted on your teeth from bruxism can be enough to wear down enamel and even lead to tooth loss. A night guard for teeth is much more affordable than a dental bridge or implant.
If you are tired of waking up in pain, you’ll want to ask your dentist about getting a teeth grinding guard.
You might be surprised by how well-rested you’ll feel after your first night wearing a dental night guard. Teeth grinding is a tough habit to beat, especially if you’re under a lot of stress. Thankfully, a night guard protects your smile while you sleep so you can enjoy good oral health.
If you’re in need of a dental night guard, Dr. Dawn C. Baker DDS and her team are dedicated to helping you maintain a beautiful healthy smile. We offer dental night guards, snoring and sleep apnea devices, and other dental treatments. Feel free to reach out and contact us online to request an appointment with your Gahanna dentist, or call Pure Dental by phone at (614) 475-7580.