Night Guards help protect us from grinding our teeth at night when we sleep. But is it right for you? Let’s read on to learn more about this.
Bruxism, commonly referred to as teeth grinding, is a phenomenon when we grind our teeth together at night, which often results in expedited erosion, cracked teeth, jaw pain, and more. This can cause unnecessary pain but is luckily easily solved, thanks to night guards. Night guards are worn at night over the top and bottom row of teeth, which puts a thin barrier in between the two, thus preventing those nasty side effects of teeth grinding. You may also experience headaches from this problem, hence why night guards are an excellent option if you experience this often. Let’s learn more about night guards.
Are Night Guards A Good Fit For You?
Night Guards were invented for individuals suffering pain and discomfort from grinding their teeth at night. Roughly 10% of the population experiences this, and some may not even know it. If you are experiencing headaches; especially after you wake up following a long rest, jaw pain, or tooth discomfort, most particularly on the upper surface, then you very likely may have this condition.
Thankfully for those who need them, mouth guards protect you from this by simply placing a thin layer, similar to the dimensions of dentures, that cover the teeth so they are protected from creating friction from one another and leading to tooth erosion, jaw pain and headaches.
They’re not the most comfortable, but they will save you from the terrible long term problems caused by this condition. If you experience these problems, especially in the long-term, then you should consider this option.
Where Can You Get Them?
You may think you need to visit your dentist to acquire night guards, but more often than not, you can find them at a local pharmacy. When you purchase them at a pharmacy, they will likely include instructions that instruct you to simply boil them and place them into the mouth, at which point you bite down to mold the guard to your liking.
Another option is to visit your dentist, where you will undoubtedly get a much higher quality and better-fitted guard, due to it being carefully shaped from an impression taken from your dentist’s office. These tend to last longer and have better results at night, but if you need something quick, then one found at a pharmacy will definitely help you.
Final Thoughts
All types of things can cause us to grind our teeth at night. Things like stress, anxiety, and even simple discomfort within our mouth can cause us to have night grinding. As we have gone over, night guards help alleviate the negative effects of this problem and can be found at a local pharmacy or given to you by your dentist, which will be highly customized to your particular mouth specifications. Fortunately, if you stop this issue early on, there will likely be little to no damage, such as tooth erosion.