What You Need To Know About Night Guards

Daily stress can greatly affect your overall health. This is especially true when it comes to our oral health. Untreated stress can lead to teeth grinding that can damage your teeth, and affect your jaw and sleep A custom night time mouth guard can help alleviate stress by properly aligning your teeth creating a  barrier between your teeth and gums. 

If you find that you grind your teeth at night, a mouthguard is essential for protecting your smile. In this post, we will outline everything you need to know about night guards for your teeth.

Why Do We Grind Our Teeth?

Most commonly, teeth grinding or Bruxism is caused by stress and anxiety. It can also be the result of a misaligned jaw and missing or crooked teeth. 

As teeth grinding often occurs during sleep, many of us are unaware that this is something we do. However, some tell-tale signs of Bruxism include a dull and persistent headache, sensitive jaw and damaged or worn teeth. Other symptoms include:

• A headache when waking up
• Sore or tight jaw and facial muscles
• Chipped and worn teeth 
• A feeling of “loose” teeth
• Discomfort when chewing

What Is A Night Guard?

If left untreated, teeth grinding can result in fracturing, loosening, wear and loss of teeth. When these events happen, bridges, crowns, root canals, implants, partial dentures, and even complete dentures may be needed.

This can be avoided, however, with a night time mouth guard. This works to protect your teeth while you are sleeping. A Night guard is made of a custom made mouthpiece to cover the top or bottom teeth and cushions the teeth and prevents them from grinding together.

Types Of Mouth Guards

There are a number of different mouth guards that can help protect your teeth from grinding. While they may look and feel different, they all serve a similar purpose.

• Custom-Fitted:  This mouthguard is made for you and your teeth specifically. Your dentist will take an impression of your teeth so that your guard fits comfortably. While more expensive, this is the highest quality of mouthguard and does the best job at protecting your teeth.
• Boil and Bite:  These mouth protectors are a thermoplastic material that you can shape at home to fit your teeth. This is works by placing a heated and softened guard in your mouth and biting down to create a fitted mouthguard.
• Over-The-Counter: These are store-bought pieces that feature an adjustable mechanism to protect your teeth. While they can offer some protection for your teeth, they will not be as effective or durable.
• One-Size-Fits-All: These one-size-fits-all mouthguards come preformed and ready to wear. Because they aren’t made specifically for your teeth, they rarely fit well and can be uncomfortable.

High-Quality Mouth Guards For You

If you are looking for the best nighttime mouth guards, Noosa Family Dental has got you covered.  At Noosa Family Dental, they offer custom-fitted mouthguards to protect your teeth from the damage caused by teeth grinding at night. For more information on how you can protect your teeth, contact Noosa Family Dental today.