What is a Dental Night Guard and Do I Need One?
Nightly teeth grinding or clenching can cause some really irritating pain the next morning. If this happens to you, let me ask you this: Have you ever considered a dental night guard?
Not only does Bruxism (the constant grinding and clenching) cause pain, but it can damage your teeth as well. The longer this goes on, the more prone you are to broken, chipped, and deteriorating teeth.
And nobody wants that.
This unconscious habit is prevalent in about 13% of adults, according to studies. A common misconception we hear from patients at Downtown Dentist San Francisco is that they think night guards are expensive. But the truth is, you have quite a few options to choose from.
You just have to ask!
To save you some time, here’s the basic “Need To Know” facts regarding your nightly teeth guards.
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What is a Night Guard?
A night guard is a mouthpiece used for your upper or lower teeth to help eliminate teeth grinding. The size and materials depend on where you get it, but you can generally expect them to be around 1-3mm thick and made of acrylic material.
Dental guards are thinner than the standard mouth guards you’re used to seeing athletes use while playing sports. The top or bottom guard provides enough cushion to protect your teeth and to slowly break this harmful habit.
What is Occlusal Guard?
An occlusal guard is just another name for this tooth protectant. These mouth guards have many different names: bruxism guard, dental night guard, bite splints, and nocturnal bite plates. If you see any of these, just know that they are all the same.
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Importance of Having a Dental Night Guard
A night guard prevents your top and bottom teeth from touching, thus eliminating wear and tear from your nightly teeth grinding. A custom-fit guard can also help you with:
Toothaches: If you’re clenching your mouth every night, it’s going to leave you with soreness, tension headaches, and sometimes down-right excruciating pain. Eventually, this constant pressure will lead to cracked or broken teeth as well. We can prevent all of this from happening with an occlusal guard.
TMJ: A dental guard can eliminate the pain you experience on your jawline and temple (near your ear).
Sleeping: Even if you don’t realize it, the irritation from incessant teeth grinding interferes with your sleep. With a guard, you’ll wake up feeling more refreshed.
Doctors don’t actually know the reason people experience Bruxism. However, what we do know is that it tends to appear more in adults who experience daily stress and anxiety.
Naturally, waking up with head pain from teeth grinding will only add to that stress— which is why a night guard is such a great solution!
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Different Materials You Can Choose From
As I mentioned, different dentists use different materials for their prescription night guards. Here are the most common ones you’ll find:
Ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA): Almost all night guards contain this material, especially soft or hybrid guards.
Dual Laminate: These mouth guards are soft on the inside and hard on the outside.
Acrylic: We prescribe acrylic guards for the most intense cases. These are made entirely out of hard acrylic materials to effectively stop severe teeth grinders from damaging their teeth further.
Dentist Night Guard vs Over the Counter
Obviously, we’re going to recommend that you get a guard from your dentist that is custom-fitted for your teeth. We’ll take an impression of your teeth and send it to our lab for a completely comfortable fit.
The type of guard we prescribe is also custom to your specific problem. We might recommend a light, soft guard, a harder guard (for intense grinders), or a hybrid night guard.
Over-the-counter products are the most affordable and accessible options. You can find them at convenience stores like CVS and even Target.
However, most people don’t read the fine print when it comes to these cheap over-the-counter options. Despite that many claim to mold to your teeth, these companies actually tell you the reasons why you shouldn’t use their product:
If you have loose teeth or teeth that can wiggle
If your dentist has told you that you have TMJ
You have pain or clicking of the jaw
Any sort of pain from teeth grinding
If you have dental implants or wear dentures or other dental appliances
You have mouth sores
If you have Gum disease or bleeding gums
When you have serious breathing, respiratory, or other health problems
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Thinking about getting a custom night guard? We can help! Call Downtown Dentist SF and ask us about your options.