Many people grind their teeth (bruxism) and clench their jaws during sleep, but are completely unaware of it. Teeth grinding may seem harmless, but it may cause temporomandibular joint disorder, frequent headaches, jaw and facial pain, difficulty opening and closing the mouth, and prematurely worn teeth.
Teeth grinding can also lead to teeth sensitivity, cracked teeth, receding gums and teeth misalignment. If you grind your teeth at night, see Trafalgar dentist offers dental night guards to prevent bruxism and provide relief from symptoms.
What is a Night Guard?
A night guard or nocturnal bite plate is a transparent plastic mouthpiece that fits over your teeth. It is worn at night to prevent the upper and lower arches from coming into contact with each other. There are different types of night guards: over-the-counter, boil and bite and custom.
Over-the-counter night guards are found in most drug stores. They are usually large, unattractive and don’t fit well (they might even come out at night).Boil and bite mouth guards are also available in stores. You boil the mouthpiece to soften it, and mold the material to your teeth. Boil and bite night guards fit a bit better than OTC night guards, but they are not as durable as custom night guards.
Custom Night Guards
Custom night guards are made at your dentist’s office. First, Dentist will examine your mouth thoroughly, determine your grinding pattern and identify damaged areas that need to be repaired. Depending on the condition of your mouth, you may need a small night guard that fits over the front teeth or a full coverage mouthpiece. You dentist in Trafalgar will then take impressions or molds of your teeth and send them to the dental lab that will design the custom night guard.
Learn how custom dental night guards can help stop damage caused by teeth grinding. Call us at +61 3 5633 1185 or make an appointment online.