If you suffer from bruxism, your dentist may recommend wearing a night guard during sleep. This thin, transparent device covers your upper and lower teeth, thus preventing teeth grinding. Although a night guard Richmond is primarily used to treat bruxism, it does have other health benefits. Keep reading to find out more.
Preserves Your Teeth
One of the greatest challenges presented by constant teeth grinding at night is that it wears out the enamel. And since the grinding is involuntary and happens in your sleep, it is impossible to stop it even if you want to.
A worn-out enamel is susceptible to hypersensitivity and cavities. In some cases, bruxism also leads to broken or chipped teeth, requiring a filling or crown replacement.
With a night guard, you can preserve the surface of your teeth and prevent further damage. Even if you continue grinding your teeth in your sleep, the pressure will be exerted on the device rather than your enamel, thus minimizing damage to your teeth.
Offers Relief from Headaches
Grinding teeth and clenching jaws usually lead to tension headaches since it exerts pressure on the jaws and joints in your face. Sometimes, this seemingly harmless habit can be the source of chronic and severe headaches and even migraines.
A night guard can offer much-needed relief from persistent headaches as it eases the tension in the jaws. If you often wake up in the middle of the night with a splitting headache due to teeth grinding, a night guard can help you deal with the problem.
It Keeps Your Airways Open
A night guard is also effective at managing sleep apnea. Since it separates the upper and lower jaw throughout the night, it ensures that the airways remain open, thus preventing choking and loss of breath due to sleep apnea.
It Prevents Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TMJ Disorder)
Another benefit of wearing a night guard is that it eases pressure on the temporomandibular joint, which is the joint between the skull and the jaw. Extreme pressure and tension in this joint usually cause severe headaches and can even render the jaw dysfunctional. Ultimately, this could lead to temporomandibular joint disorder, which is a misalignment of the jaw.
Getting a custom-made night guard goes a long way in preventing gradual damage to the jaw and the temporomandibular joint. It also offers quick relief from the tension and pressure caused by teeth grinding.
Better Sleep
A night guard can also improve your sleep quality tremendously. For one, you will be spared the agony of waking up to an excruciating headache in the middle of the night due to pent-up tension and pressure. Secondly, if you experience sleep apnea, the night guard can eliminate incidences of choking, thus allowing you to sleep comfortably throughout the night.
To get the most benefits from a night guard, it is vital to have your night guard custom-made. Generic devices will likely be uncomfortable and not an exact fit, making it difficult to get a good night’s sleep. Ill-fitting devices are also much harder to get used to. You should therefore talk to your dentist about getting a bespoke night guard.
A night guard may be a simple device, but it can save you a lot of agony and headache. It keeps your teeth separated, thus preventing excessive wear and tear due to teeth-grinding, and can also help manage sleep apnea. Talk to your dentist about getting this device if you experience bruxism or sleep celebrities age.
