Mouth Guards
Tigard, OR
 TIf you find yourself grinding your teeth at night, a mouth guard may be necessary to prevent serious dental damage. At Tigard Family Dental we can discuss the causes of nighttime teeth grinding and how a mouth guard can help prevent damage and help you get a better night’s sleep.
Why Should You Get a Night Mouth Guard
A night mouth guard is the most common tool used to prevent damage to your teeth from nighttime grinding. Just like with sports mouth guards, there are several options you can choose from that will provide different levels of results.
Your local pharmacy likely carries an over-the-counter night mouth guard you can attempt to custom fit at home. Typically, these mouth guards will require you to boil them first before they can be cooled and molded to your teeth.
While they are cost-effective at first, they wear out quickly and lose their ability to mold to your teeth. Additionally, depending on the shape of your mouth and the frequency with which you grind your teeth, they may not be completely effective at preventing all damage.
If you need more protection or a better fit, you can visit us and we will help develop a custom night mouth guard that perfectly meets your needs.
When you come in for a custom fitting, the dentist will make a mold of your teeth, which will then be sent off to a lab so that your specific mouth guard can be developed. These custom mouth guards last longer and provide better results.
Signs of Nighttime Teeth Grinding
Oftentimes, our patients aren’t even aware they are grinding their teeth at night until they see symptoms develop. That’s because nighttime teeth grinding can be an unconscious act that only occurs while you are deep asleep.
The impacts, however, stay with you all day long. Grinding your teeth at night can cause damage to your teeth in the form of chips, fractures, and damage to your enamel. It can also cause jaw soreness, sensitive teeth, migraine headaches, and in some instances lead to the development of temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ).
Grinding your teeth at night can even impact the overall quality of your sleep as it has been linked to sleep-disordered breathing and sleep apnea. The pain from grinding your teeth can even be enough to wake you up in the middle of the night.
Many different issues cause nighttime teeth grinding. There are physical causes like a misaligned jaw and other health issues like stress or depression.
The good news is that at Tigard Family Dental we have solutions in place to easily diagnose and treat the symptoms of nighttime teeth grinding, starting with a custom-fitted mouth guard. It is important we get you fitted for a mouth guard as soon as possible so that you don’t risk damaging your teeth any further.
We can also discuss the causes of the grinding and make sure you are being set up with the appropriate follow-up care solutions. If you suspect you are grinding your teeth at night, do not hesitate to call us at (971) 762-1262 right away so we can get started on a treatment plan.
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