Night Guards Treatment- How is it helpful?

Teeth grinding or clenching can happen when you are awake or asleep. This condition of clenching the teeth is called bruxism and has detrimental effects on your teeth and the temporomandibular joint. So what can be done? Don’t worry, we have a solution to this problem. Night guard treatment is an effective treatment option available with us at Complete Dental Solutions. In the information provided below, we will briefly discuss what is a nightguard and how they are helpful in protecting your teeth and TMJ- brought to you by Complete Dental Solutions

What is a Nightguard?- Night Guards Treatment

A nightguard is a plastic device customized to be worn like a retainer over your teeth. It covers the biting surface of both your upper and lower teeth. The barrier mechanism of the nightguard prevents the teeth’ surfaces from coming in contact with each other, protecting the surface of the teeth from getting abraded. Since there is no contact between the teeth, it prevents clenching and relieves the stress on your jaw joint. 

Types of Nightguards- Night Guards Treatment

Hard Nightguards

They are made up of acrylic and are used to treat severe bruxism cases. They help relax the muscles and bring the jaw into a healthier position.  Adjustments in the guard’s bite will help your muscles and jaw relax. Hard nightguards are made from firm material and are the most durable type.

Over-the-counter

There are many over-the-counter nightguards that are available as one-size-fits variants. They are pre-molded to fit any mouth type and are a boil-and-bite type of nightguard. However, customized nightguards’ effectiveness is greater than over-the-counter ones.

Custom-made

We offer a personalized solution in the form of customized nightguards by taking the impressions of your upper and lower teeth. These customized plates are more comfortable and effective than the one-size-fits variant. 

How does Night Guards Treatment help?

Prevent Teeth Damage

Teeth grinding has a detrimental effect on enamel. The harder you clench, the more likely you are to lose enamel faster. Losing enamel means your teeth are more sensitive to temperature changes in food. Also, the loss of enamel makes you more susceptible to tooth decay. With nightguards, we protect against such future complications by forming barrier protection over the biting surfaces of your teeth. 

Protects the fillings

Dental fillings or restorations are designed to bear a certain amount of force. If there is excessive force on our teeth, the fillings tend to dislodge and fracture. To prevent this, nightguards are of great help as they prevent the excessive force to act on the existing restorations directly. 

Prevents TMD

TMD, or temporomandibular joint disorder, occurs when there is excessive stress on your jaw joint. As you clench your teeth, there is an excessive force on your joints. This force can cause damage to the ligaments of your jaw joint. TMD presents as difficulty in chewing and jaw pain associated with pain around your temple region, ear, and neck sometimes. The plastic plates prevent such excessive force and save you from the TMD pain.