What is a night guard?
A night guard is a custom designed oral appliance that fits snugly over your teeth. It provides a protective barrier between your upper and lower arch, relieving pressure on your jaw and protecting your tooth enamel.
What conditions can benefit from a night guard?
At Sargon Dental, Dr. Dansie uses night guards to treat several common oral health problems, including:
Teeth grinding (bruxism)
Many people grind their teeth during sleep but don’t realize it. Over time, this involuntary practice can damage your teeth, cause muscle tension, and result in other uncomfortable side-effects, including headaches and facial pain.
Temporomandibular joint disorders (TMJ)
The temporomandibular joints act like sliding hinges and assist you in chewing, yawning, and speaking. If the muscles around these joints become stiff or tense, it can result in TMJ, a painful condition that can make it difficult to perform routine tasks like eating.
Obstructive sleep apnea
Obstructive sleep apnea is a serious sleep disorder that causes you to wake up multiple times throughout the night. It occurs when the soft tissues at the back of your throat relax, cutting off your airways. When left untreated, obstructive sleep apnea increases the risk of other health problems, including heart disease and diabetes.
Will I benefit from a night guard?
To determine if you’ll benefit from a night guard, Dr. Dansie reviews your dental health history and asks about your symptoms, including when they occur, their severity, and if any activities, like taking over-the-counter pain medication or chewing on the opposite side of your mouth, make them better.
After gathering this information, Dr. Dansie conducts an oral exam and takes a series of digital computed tomography (CT) scans. If these measures don’t provide enough information, he might refer you to a specialist in the area to undergo a sleep study.
What does getting a night guard involve?
Getting a night guard is a quick and hassle-free process. Dr. Dansie uses an intraoral scanner to take digital impressions of your teeth and gums. Then, he sends your impressions to the on-site dental laboratory, which uses them to create a custom mouthpiece.
About a week after your scans, you return to Sargon Dental. You try on the night guard, and Dr. Dansie makes adjustments as necessary.
If teeth grinding or snoring prevents you from getting sleep, request a night guard consultation at Sargon Dental. Call the nearest office to speak with a member of the administrative team or click the online booking tool.
