Many patients grind their teeth while they sleep. Some people will try to stop this from happening, but it’s difficult. They’ll damage their teeth in the process, and they’ll often harm their jaws, gums, cheeks, and even ears as the years progress. Wearing night mouth guards can stop all of that from happening, helping patients prevent or even reverse some of the damage associated with tooth grinding.
The night guards that patients will wear under these circumstances are made from specialized plastic. The plastic is manufactured without any toxic chemicals, so patients won’t have to worry about absorbing any chemicals from their mouth guards while they’re asleep. Lots of people will purchase over-the-counter night guards, all of which are disposable and easy to use.
Other people will get custom made night guards. Some people will prefer the custom made night guards, but it is possible to get great results with both types of night guards. The custom made versions can take longer to form, and people will have to continue to clean them. Those versions will also wear out, and they will eventually have to be remade and reformed. Some patients will get by with the night guards that are available at the store, and they will be able to address teeth grinding issues in the process.
Preventing Pain and Other Problems Using Night Guards
The patients who grind their teeth all night long will often wake up with terrible jaw pain. Their jaws will sometimes click all day. They might have a difficult time eating or chewing as a result. Some people will even feel like their jaws have shifted out of place, even though this usually won’t be the case in these situations. It can still be alarming for the patients who are struggling with teeth grinding. Wearing night guards can stop all of that from occurring each night.
When patients wear night guards, their jaws just won’t move around as much. This means that it will be easier for them to avoid many of the symptoms associated with this condition.
Some people will wake up with the feeling that their ears have closed up, and they might have a difficult time making their ears feel normal. Patients can get around this problem by wearing ear plugs at night, but this is not something that all people want to try. Wearing night mouth guards can actually stop these symptoms as well, since people’s ears will only close up because of the movements of their jaws at night. The mouth guards will hold people’s jaws in place, making it that much easier for everyone involved to feel better in every way in the morning.
People will often wake up with tooth pain after grinding their teeth all night. They will end up wearing down their teeth as a result. In some cases, they will develop cracks in their teeth. This is the sort of process that can contribute to tooth decay. The people who wear mouth guards at night instead will be able to preserve their teeth, stopping all of the deterioration from occurring in the first place.
A lot of patients will get headaches as a result of the constant tooth grinding. They’ll wake up with headaches, and they will continue to feel that sort of dull and aching pain all day long. These same patients might have a hard time getting a good night’s rest. It’s difficult to sleep in general through all of that tooth grinding. It’s common for patients to grind their teeth at night, but the consequences are still very real.
Night mouth guards really can solve almost all of these problems at once, even though the people in question will still be grinding their teeth. It’s difficult for people to stop this altogether, since people can’t really control most of what they do in their sleep at the best of times. Even people who sleepwalk have a hard time stopping it, in spite of the fact that sleepwalking is a very difficult condition to live with.
Some of the people who grind their teeth at night will try to take medication to relieve stress, but there are no guarantees that this will work. The night mouth guards will already help patients treat the symptoms associated with the underlying problem. In practice, that can be enough.
Getting Night Mouth Guards
It’s worth noting that night mouth guards are easy to find. A lot of people grind their teeth at night, since this is a problem that strongly relates to stress. People won’t really have to do anything else when they work towards solving this problem. They will just have to make sure that they have enough night mouth guards in the first place, since these mouth guards do not last very long.
Reusing Night Mouth Guards
People will tend to find that the mouth guards will become less effective when they are used frequently. The plastic will flatten and wear out, and they will need new mouth guards. However, the new ones will be effective, and people will not have to worry about any major symptoms returning.
Some people might find it a little tough to get used to night mouth guards at first. However, these devices can still help them with a lot of different issues.