Grinding Appliances
A Custom Grinding appliance, also known as a Night Guard, is a plastic device that gets worn usually on the upper teeth while asleep. Some patients may opt to have one made for the lower arch due to having a “gag” reflex.
At McKenzie Towne Family Dental every grinding appliance is made custom so that it fits you and meets your specific needs.
Why Do I Need A Night Guards?
A night guard is used to prevent excessive wear on the teeth caused by tooth grinding during sleep. This medical condition is known as Bruxism, which can also lead to other problems in the jaw. Clenching and grinding can make the chewing muscles tired and causes them to go into spasm, causing pain at the TMJ.
Clenching and grinding are very common. They are often a result of an imbalance in how your jaw or muscles would like your jaw to close and how your teeth fit together. Your ‘bite’ can trigger you to grind or clench at night with much greater force than during the day. The dental signs of grinding can include flattening of your teeth, tooth fractures, gum recession, and indents/notches on the roots.
The signs and symptoms of bruxism may include:
- Teeth grinding or clenching, which may be loud enough to wake your sleep partner
- Teeth that are worn down, flattened or chipped
- Worn tooth enamel, exposing the inside of your tooth
- Increased tooth sensitivity
- Jaw pain or tightness in your jaw muscles
- Ear ache — because of violent jaw muscle contractions, not a problem with your ear
- Dull morning headache
- Chronic facial pain
- Chewed tissue on the inside of your cheek
- Interrupted Sleep
- Head and Neck symptoms
To get a night guard, we will first take impressions of your upper and lower teeth. These those molds will be sent to our in-house lab. From there they will construct a custom fitted night guard that you should put on right before you sleep and remove upon waking.