Dentists in Bowmanville sometimes suggest that patients will benefit from wearing a night guard. Various situations can mean this dental appliance is useful for protecting oral health. A night guard can be prescribed for various reasons, including sleep apnea, bruxism (clenching and grinding) and temporomandibular joint disorder. The idea of wearing a night guard is to help ensure your teeth cannot come into contact during sleep and can be designed to place your jaws into a more neutral position.
Pros of Wearing a Night Guard
The pros of wearing a night guard include the following:
Protecting Teeth
Harmful habits like bruxism can significantly damage teeth. Bruxism is often a nocturnal habit, and if you grind your teeth during sleep, wearing a nightguard will separate your teeth so your lower teeth grind harmlessly against the night guard.
Preventing Enamel Erosion
People who clench and grind their teeth will often wear down their tooth enamel, making it thinner and more easily chipped and cracked. When tooth enamel is eroded, it can lead to tooth sensitivity, so you might notice your teeth are more sensitive whenever you have anything hot or cold or eat something very sweet or sour.
Easy to Breathe Freely
Wearing a night guard can help you breathe more freely, especially when prescribed for sleep apnea. In this case, a night guard in Newcastle is designed to help keep your airway open, moving your lower jaw into a slightly forward position and preventing your tongue from flopping backwards. If you have a night guard prescribed for other reasons, rest assured it will not hinder your breathing.
Comfortable to Wear
Custom-designed night guards fit snugly over your teeth and will not dig into gums or cheeks. They are specially designed to be comfortable, so you will want to use your night guard.
Reducing Dental Pain and Discomfort
When a night guard is prescribed for temporomandibular joint disorder or TMD, it can help relieve the pain and discomfort caused by this condition. TMD can cause jaw pain, toothache, facial pain, and chronic headaches. Wearing a night guard to help put your jaw into a more relaxed position will help reduce these problems so that, over time, your jaw joints should gradually feel less tender and sore and inflamed. Often TMD is treated using a combination of therapies, and wearing a custom-made night guard might be just part of your treatment plan.
The Cons of Wearing a Night Guard
There are very few cons to wearing a night guard, provided you opt for a custom-made one. When you visit West Bowmanville Family Dental, our experienced dental team can ensure you receive a fully customized night guard. However, some people prefer to wear an over-the-counter night guard as these are available very cheaply but can be a false economy. These night guards offer minimal protection at best, can be uncomfortable and ill-fitting, and could even worsen problems like TMD.
One possible con of a night guard is that you must get used to wearing it like any dental device. It shouldn’t take too long, and gradually you will find it becomes second nature to insert your mouthguard before sleeping peacefully. You must also follow our instructions on how to care for it properly, ensuring you clean it thoroughly to remove any bacterial buildup and protect your oral health.
If prescribed a night guard in Courtice, ensure you bring it to regular checkups, as it will eventually need replacing. However, some people only need to wear a night guard for a short time; for example, if they have bruxism, as wearing the guard helps break the habit.