Clare Louise Clenching or grinding your teeth during sleep is pretty common among children and adults. But this may become a matter of great concern if it is persistent, leading to headaches, tooth or jaw pain, or damage to your teeth. This may indicate an underlying cause such as bruxism. It is best to seek dental care and discuss the symptoms with your dentist for prompt management.
General dentistry offers several effective solutions to manage symptoms of bruxism, and night guards are one such emerging appliance that can be of great benefit. Let us learn everything about these night appliances.
What are night guards?
Night guards are plastic dental appliances, used to treat bruxism, and are designed to fit securely around your teeth. These are made up of clear or transparent plastic; thus, it does not pose any cosmetic concerns.
Night guards are either available in the market or fabricated by your dentist. The guards provided by your dentist are the most preferred since they are of high quality, yielding better results.
| Bruxism is defined as a condition that is characterized by habitual clenching or grinding of your teeth. This can happen while you are asleep (sleep bruxism) or awake (awake bruxism), leading to an array of symptoms. |
How do night guards benefit?
Night guards are excellent therapeutic appliances that help in the following ways:
- Prevent damage: Night guards help prevent damage to the tooth and soft tissues by acting like shock absorbers to distribute the forces.
- Ease discomfort: Bruxism can lead to severe strain on facial muscles. This leads to headaches and tooth or jaw pain.
- Prevent TMJ disorder: TMJ pain is a classic sign of bruxism that can be debilitating.
How are night guards fabricated?
The procedure is as follows:
- Your dentist will assess your clinical symptoms and will conduct a dental exam to evaluate the severity of bruxism.
- Your dentist will then thoroughly clean your mouth to remove any plaque or debris.
- A full mouth impression of your upper and lower jaw will be recorded and sent to the lab.
- A customized night guard will be fabricated.
- Your dentist will provide all the necessary instructions about the usage of the night guard.
- You are expected to use the night guard every night for the desired period as instructed by your dentist.
- Regular follow-up visits are essential to evaluate the effect of night guard.
Closure
Night guards are excellent, cost-effective dental appliances that can greatly provide symptomatic relief from bruxism and prevent further damage.
