Many people are afflicted with teeth grinding — also known as bruxism. While some individuals may do this throughout the day, it is a larger problem at night during sleep.
Our Grandville family dentists know that teeth grinding can damage enamel, wear down teeth, cause jaw pain, or irritate your gums. The noise from nighttime teeth grinding can also disturb your spouse's sleep.
Fortunately, there are solutions that can lessen the damages of teeth grinding, such as bite splints or night guards — restorative devices used to support, protect, or immobilize oral structures that have been loosened, replanted, fractured, or traumatized.
We offer night guards or bite splint therapy for:
- Treatment of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders
- Patients dealing with issues from nighttime teeth grinding
- Mouth or jaw problems resulting from bite misalignment
If you grind your teeth you should consider a night guard. Similar to a mouth guard worn by athletes, this device provides a barrier between your top and bottom teeth while you sleep. All night guards are custom fitted for comfort and to allow for proper breathing. Our Grandville dentists take an impression of your teeth and have the night guard created by a dental lab. Night guards are very durable and can be used for up to 10 years.
There are also some things you can do to try to prevent teeth grinding. You can train your jaw to be free and easy, rather than clenched. Refrain from chewing gum or on other objects like pens. You should also avoid alcoholic or caffeinated drinks, as these can increase the likelihood you will grind your teeth. If you suspect you might be grinding your teeth at night set up a dentist appointment with us today.
Our dentists offer several different types of bite splint therapy for specific conditions. Through proper evaluation and fitting, our dentists can help alleviate misalignment of your bite and subsequently correct these issues.
Our dentists, Sarah Palmer DDS and Amy Harmon DDS are dedicated to helping patients maintain healthy beautiful smiles through quality dental treatments. If you are interested in learning more about getting a dental night guard, call our dentists in Grandville at (616) 534-0080.