Dental Nightguards- Some Help for Stress and Anxiety
A dental nighttime appliance (nightguard) is being recommended more often these days as a way to protect your teeth from the results of grinding or clenching during your sleep.
Teeth grinding or clenching can be caused by stress and anxiety. If you find you are having headaches or a sore jaw when you wake up, you may be grinding your teeth at night.
Constant clenching of the teeth can wear down the surfaces of your teeth and also lead to future problems with tooth fractures or bone loss around the roots of your teeth. A dental appliance may help alleviate symptoms and remind you to ease up on your jaw. The appliance we suggest most often is made of a hard plastic that prevents you from grinding away on your teeth. This is called a flat plane appliance. To create the appliance, we take impressions of your upper teeth, send them off to a lab here in Regina, and they build the nightguard. Because it is formed to your teeth and is a made of a firm product, it can take some getting used to. Not everyone can tolerate it overnight, but others find they can’t sleep without it.
Another option for those with clenching and jaw issues is called a Kois splint. This too, is made of a hard plastic, with the main difference being a platform at the front of it that discourages clenching. Some people find such relief from their TMJ issues that they wear it during the day as well.
If both of these options prove too uncomfortable for you, a third option can be wearing a softer sports mouthguard during the night. This can help protect the teeth, but would not provide the support of the other two nightguards.
To discuss options for your health and comfort, meet with Dr Dodds and our team at Downtown Dental Centre.
