Do you experience tooth sensitivity or jaw pain? Most people grind their teeth during the night, even if they don’t realize it. Eventually, this can cause permanent damage and lots of pain. Here’s what you need to know about night guards: what they are, how they work, and who can benefit from wearing one.
What Is a Night Guard?
A night guard is a mouthpiece that is made of hard acrylic plastic or similar materials. Your dentist custom-fits the mouthpiece to ensure that it fits comfortably while also completely covering and protecting your teeth. Then, you’ll wear your night guard when you go to sleep each night.
Who Should Wear a Night Guard?
If you commonly notice that your teeth are sensitive or damaged, your jaw is painful, your gums are bleeding, or you have reoccurring headaches, you might have bruxism. Bruxism is a condition that occurs when you grind, gnash, and/or clench your teeth while you are sleeping. To treat bruxism, you will likely need to wear a night guard.
However, anyone can benefit from wearing a night guard! Teeth grinding and other symptoms are caused by multiple factors, including:
- High levels of stress and anxiety
- Tension or hyperactivity during the day
- Chewing gum, smoking, and drinking caffeine
- Medical issues, such as GERD and night terrors
- COVID-19 and other viruses
In such a stressful time, many people have begun grinding their teeth when they never have before. It’s best you visit the Redondo Beach dental center and get a night guard fitted to prevent any potential problems.
What Problems Can a Night Guard Solve?
Sensitive Teeth
Do you have tooth pain when you chew food, brush your teeth, eat sugary foods, or drink cold beverages? Grinding your teeth can make your mouth more sensitive. Night guards will help ensure that you aren’t wearing away your enamel by grinding your teeth together.
Headaches
Clenching your jaw or grinding your teeth will also lead to headaches. Headaches can be dull or sharp and last for several days. You don’t want to wake up with pain every day! With a night guard, you’ll soon be headache-free
Jaw Pain
If you wake up with your jaw tense, painful, or sore, you’re most likely grinding your teeth at night. When you grind your teeth, you’re also tightly clenching your jaw. Our dentist at Redondo Beach can provide you with a night guard to help prevent and treat this issue.
Cracked Teeth
Constantly grinding your teeth together can weaken them and wear down the protective enamel. When this happens, you can get cracking, which is a serious problem. Not only is this problem painful, it’s also expensive to treat. In severe cases, you might even lose teeth. Having a night guard can help prevent this from happening.
Talk to Your Dentist About Getting a Night Guard
Grinding, clenching, and gnashing your teeth leads to many painful problems. No one wants to suffer from constant pain! Visit the Dental Center of Redondo Beach and we’ll help you come up with the ideal solutions to your dental problems.
