If you wake up in the morning with severe toothaches or jaw pain, this may be a sign that you’d benefit from the use of a teeth grinding guard. Otherwise called a night guard, these teeth grinding guards can prevent you from grinding your teeth in your sleep. Tooth grinding is when you bite hard and move your jaw side to side. This ultimately causes your teeth to rub up or against each other. When this is done, you will likely suffer from pain or tooth damage.
Instead of suffering from great discomfort caused by tooth grinding, invest in a night guard for the best sleep – and following morning – of your life. Learning about different types of night guards available and how they can help will make you more aware of the benefits of purchasing one. Let’s take a look at the reasons you should consider sleeping with a night guard below.
Do You Need a Night Guard?
Because you are sleeping, it may be difficult to determine if you actively grind your teeth at night. There are tell-tale signs that could signify whether or not you grind your teeth. First of all, if you wake up with significant jaw pain, this could indicate you are one of the 40 million people who do grind their teeth at night. This pain happens because when you grind, you tend to bite down with a lot of pressure and bite force. Having this much tension at once can cause you pain in the morning. A second sign that you may be grinding is if you have very sensitive teeth.
Grinding your teeth can negatively harm your enamel by making it softer, scraped up, and susceptible to further decay. Tooth enamel is what protects the inner layer of the tooth, known as dentin, from exposure. When this enamel is eroded in any way, your teeth can become very sensitive, and even painful. A less common way to check if you may be grinding your teeth is by identifying whether or not you suffer from headaches or migraines frequently. Biting can create a lot of surface tension which can then lead to chronic headaches. If you or someone you know are experiencing any of these symptoms, consider purchasing a night teeth grinding guard as soon as possible.
Benefits of a Night Guard
When you decide you may benefit from a teeth grinding guard, it may be beneficial to visit your dentist. There, they can perform an in-depth oral examination with you. Dentists have acquired skills and knowledge that allows them to identify tell-tale signs of tooth grinding. For example, your dentist is able to see patterns of decay on certain parts of the teeth. This can indicate grinding.
Once you bring up your symptoms to your dentist, they can recommend whether or not you would benefit from a night guard. Teeth grinding guards give you the ability to sleep and wake up with significantly more comfort than before. This is because pain level will decrease, and the potential of headaches and migraines will dissipate.
Another benefit of using a night guard is the decrease of sensitivity and tooth decay. Teeth grinding guard prevent teeth from rubbing on each other, which would ultimately lead to damage of the oral cavity. The sooner you get a night guard to protect your teeth, the better you can protect your teeth from damage.
Get Fitted for a Teeth Grinding Guard
If you’ve experienced various of the grinding symptoms discussed above, you should start thinking about visiting a dentist to get fitted for a night guard as soon as possible. Inglewood Family Dental can support you through this process with our 2022 Dental Fee Guide. This means we don’t charge over governmentally recommended prices for any of our procedures we follow. Visit or call us to schedule an appointment today for a consultation and fitting of a night guard.
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