Mouth Guard Clenching teeth creates pressure on the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) that connects your jaw with the skull. As a result, you may have a misaligned jaw, leading to difficulty chewing and pain around and within the ears, or even headaches. Our dental specialists at Wildhorse Dental recommend that you wear a night mouthguard if you are struggling with jaw clenching and teeth grinding. What is a Nightguard?A night mouthguard is a retainer-like piece of plastic that may be soft or hard. It is constructed to cover the biting surfaces and you can wear it on either the top arch of teeth or the bottom arch. Because patients have varying teeth patterns, receiving a custom-made mouthguard fabricated from molding to perfectly fit your teeth makes good sense. Custom-fit nightguards are comfortable and do not feel bulky. A mouthguard for sleep can be referred to by many names including bite splint, nocturnal bite plate, occlusal guard, or dental guard. Types of NightguardsDifferent types of night mouthguards exist. There are hard nightguards fabricated from acrylic material and mostly used to address TMJ issues and severe teeth grinding or clenching. The bite changes as the TMJ muscles relax. This happens due to the bottom jaw moving in a centric position. Nightguards can help make adjustments to the bite because they are constructed from a firm material. The bite adjustment helps the muscles as well as the jaw to relax. There are also over-the-counter or stock mouthguards that you can obtain from drug stores. They are one-size-fits-all nightguards because they are pre-fabricated to fit the oral cavity. There are also boil-and-bite nightguards which you soften in hot water in order to ensure a better fit. Sadly, using these oral devices tends to cause a shift in your bite because they are not constructed specifically for the size or shape of your teeth. The other type is custom-fit nightguards and these offer a personalized solution because they are fabricated using impressions of your teeth. Our dentist takes impressions of the teeth and uses special material and a fabrication process to make the nightguards. Therefore, they feel comfortable and can last several years with proper care and adjustments. Why a Nightguard and Not a Sports Mouthguard?Often, you may wonder whether a sports mouthguard can serve as a night mouthguard. The answer is no. Despite the similarities in their names, sports and night mouthguards are not the same thing. You, therefore, should not confuse them. A sports mouthguard is likely to cause harm if you wear it while sleeping. This type of mouthguard covers the teeth and gums because it is designed to protect them against blunt force trauma. Wearing a sports mouthguard at night traps bacteria within the surface of gums while sleeping because saliva does not adequately flow to reach the gums. Saliva washes away food debris and helps neutralize acids responsible for causing cavities. Hence, you may have increased plaque buildup if you wear sports mouthguards while asleep. Therefore, you need to work closely with our dental team so that you get nightguards that work to prevent damage to your teeth. Some nightguards can feature holes that allow saliva to reach the teeth. Ask our dental team at Wildhorse Dental to provide you with an appropriate design based on the condition of your mouth and teeth or gums. Call us at 636-537-0447 to book an appointment to have your custom-fit nightguard constructed. |
Office HoursMonday: 8:00am-5:00pm Tuesday: 7:30am-4:00pm Wednesday: 7:30am-4:00pm Thursday: 7:30am-3:00pm Fri‑Sun: Closed |
