Night Guards

Night guards are appliances that the patient wears at night to counter the effects of excessive grinding of the teeth. They come in a variety of types and thicknesses and can be customized to fit your mouth for optimal comfort.

The need for a night guard comes from protecting their teeth from destruction and joint pain. The two most common health conditions associated with needing a night guard is temporomandibular joint (TMD) disorder and bruxism.

The following symptoms can help you decide whether or not one of these disorders might be the cause of your jaw pain:

• Pain in or around the ear.
• Tenderness of the jaw muscles.
• An imbalanced or uncomfortable bite.
• Clicking or popping noises when you open or close your jaw.
• A jaw that gets stuck, locked , or “goes out”.
• Pressure, fullness, or ringing in your ears.
• Dizziness that cannot be explained.

Causes of the temporomandibular joint (TMD) disorder include injury to the teeth or jaw, misalignment of the teeth or jaw, teeth grinding, poor posture, stress, arthritis, and gum chewing.

How can you tell if you have TMD?

Knowing that you have one of these disorders can be difficult to tell on your own. The best way to find out is to talk to an oral professional about any irregularities you may feel in your jaw.

What does a night guard do for TMD?

Wearing a night guard is a great way to help your mouth heal, although additional treatments may be needed to help stabilize the jaw to prevent further damage. Night guards used to treat TMD are made of a rigid acrylic material that helps to raise the bite and reposition the jaw to help relieve the patient of any symptoms and discomfort. Due to the precise nature of TMD, multiple adjustments may be required in order to achieve the perfect position.

Bruxism is a condition characterized by constant grinding or clenching of teeth during the day or while asleep. In addition to stress and anxiety, bruxism can be caused by sleep disorders, an abnormal bite or missing/crooked teeth. The effects of bruxism are headaches, shoulder soreness, gum recession, tooth destruction and joint discomfort.

When bruxism progresses, the surface of the tooth is lost and the bite collapses. This puts additional stress on the temporomandibular joint, which is a hinge that connects our jaws to the bones of the skull that are in front of each ear. It is believed that severe bruxism can result in the start of TMD. TMD and bruxism both have similar symptoms that a patient can experience.

What does a night guard do for bruxism?

For bruxism, wearing a night guard prevents the surfaces of your teeth from grinding together, causing you to chip and crack your teeth and strain your jaw muscles.

Winning Smiles Pediatric and Adult Dentistry is proud to be able to provide custom night guards to our patients that may have jaw discomfort from clenching, grinding, or bruxism and TMD.