Night Guards

Dental night guards are made of flexible plastic and are specially designed to fit the shape of your jaw and teeth. They’re used to treat jaw-related complications and certain arthritic conditions and to prevent you from grinding your teeth at night.

You might not even be aware that you’re grinding your teeth, but the resulting damage to your teeth could ultimately result in tooth loss. Wearing guards while you sleep can stop you from grinding your teeth.

As you grind your teeth at night, the night guard replaces the friction with a smooth gliding surface that prevents damage to your teeth and relieves pressure on your jaw muscles.

Nightguards are primarily used for:

• Treating bruxism
• Treating TMD or temporomandibular disorder, which can occur as a result of bruxism
• Protecting thin porcelain bridges and other dental aesthetics during sleep

There are some dental night guards that are pre-formed with minor trimming required, but the best option is often the custom-made guard. Your Volterra dentist makes an impression of your teeth and uses specialized dental technology to create your custom dental guards.

Bruxism is the term for teeth grinding. Teeth grinding often occurs at night as you clench your jaw and grind your teeth during your sleep, or you might clench your teeth during the day.

Sleep bruxism is often considered a sleep-related movement disorder.

People who have sleep bruxism often have other sleep-related disorders as well, such as sleep apnea and snoring.

Nightguards can offer much-needed relief and prevent jaw disorders, damaged teeth, tooth loss, and severe headaches.

If you grind your teeth at night, you might not be aware you’re doing so. Look out for these signs of sleep bruxism:

• Anxiety
• Headaches
• Jaw and neck pain
• Increased tooth sensitivity
• Flattened, fractured, or chipped teeth
• Disrupted sleep and poor sleep quality
• Damage from chewing on the inside of your cheek

To learn whether night guards could ease your pain and help your sleep, call the Volterra Dental team at 562-501-3188 today, or make an appointment using the convenient online appointment request feature.