Have you ever woken up with a tight jaw or a stiff neck? You might not be surprised to learn that you could benefit from a bruxing splint or mandibular advancement device, more commonly called a night guard. While wearing a protective night guard on your teeth while you sleep might seem like a far-fetched idea to cure your neck and jaw pain, most of our pain can stem from what happens to our teeth in our sleep. Whether you’re a compulsive teeth grinder or you’re concerned about your snoring, there are a number of reasons why you could benefit from a night guard.
Have you ever woken up with a tight jaw and a pounding headache? Are you concerned about the longevity of your teeth or suspect you grind your teeth at night? If so, a custom night guard could be the solution to your toothy problems. People wear night guards for a number of reasons from helping to get a better sleep, right through to preventing tension headaches.
What is a night guard?
A night guard is a thin tray worn over your teeth. They prevent your top and bottom teeth from touching during sleep, acting as a shield or cushion. Night guards are custom made and moulded to your teeth and mouth to prevent discomfort. So, would your teeth benefit from wearing a night guard? Here are five reasons why you might want to consider wearing one:
Protect teeth from wear and tear
The most common reason why you might need a night guard is to protect your teeth from wearing down due to grinding or clenching, a condition called Bruxism. About 30 per cent of Australian children grind or clench their teeth and half the country’s population do it from time to time. It’s common for anyone to grind their teeth or clench their jaw in the middle of the night, especially during times of stress. This can cause your teeth to wear away, crack or fracture. Teeth can also be reshaped due to grinding or resting against each other. This can cause the enamel – the protective layer covering your teeth – to wear away. A night guard protects your teeth from touching each other or rubbing against each other throughout the night.
Prevent pain and headaches
According to the Australian Dental Association, some of the most painful symptoms of teeth grinding and clenching include tension headaches, face stiffness, sensitivity to hot and cold food and drink, and fractured, chipped or loosened teeth. A properly designed night guard should have a well adjusted and balanced bite to allow your mouth and chewing muscles to rest throughout the night. This minimises discomfort associated by helping your face muscles stay relaxed. In turn, this reduces tension in your face and jaw, tension headaches, neck pain and jaw pain.
Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TJD)
The temporomandibular joint is the hinge that connects your jawbone to your skull, lined with muscles used for chewing. TJD occurs when those muscles around the jaw become inflamed due to pressure from clenching or grinding teeth throughout the night. Considering one in ten Australians grind their teeth, symptoms are common and include jaw pain, difficulty chewing, and clicking and locking of the jaw joint. A night guard can prevent your teeth from clenching and grinding, reducing the pain associated with TJD.
Get a good night’s sleep
Snoring might not seem like much of an issue for you, but it could be a nightmare for your partner. Snoring can be associated with teeth grinding and clenching during the night. Night guards are also useful in correcting mild to moderate cases of obstructive sleep apnoea. Designed to create a small space between your jaws, night guards increase the air intake to allow you to breathe better. By reducing symptoms associated with teeth grinding and clenching night guards help you (and your partner) get a good night’s sleep.
Keep those pearly whites pearly white
One of the benefits of wearing a night guard is protecting your teeth from damage. Preventing this damage can save you money in the long term. Although your teeth appear stationary, they’re not always, and wearing a night guard can also help prevent your teeth from drifting, acting as an orthodontic retainer. As we get older, our bones also weaken. This can happen as a result of autoimmune diseases and age, causing the teeth to loosen and move. A night guard acts as a splint to support teeth and prevent them from moving and falling out.
While night guards help protect your smile, what protects your night guard? You make an effort to look after your oral hygiene, now it’s time to think about your night guard’s hygiene. At Dr Mark’s HyGenie, we created an all-in-one system that cleans, stores and protects your night guard quickly and safely so you don’t have to think twice about it. Our First Buy Bundle contains our HyGenie device and custom formulated DentalFresh, to get you started on your appliance hygiene routine.
