Do you wake up with tired or sore jaws?
Do you have morning headaches?
Do you find yourself clenching your teeth?
Do your teeth feel sore or sensitive to temperature for no apparent reason?
Do your teeth look like they are being ground down?
If you said yes to any of these questions, you could be grinding your teeth at night.
The activity of grinding your teeth at night can cause damage to your teeth, from the abnormal forces it creates. Grinding can also cause other symptoms; such as, headaches, jaw pain or stiffness, and even sore or sensitive teeth, besides possibly leading to worse problems with your jaw.
At Seaman Family Dentistry, in Lenexa, KS we can create a custom night guard for you, which will protect your teeth from further wear and alleviate the other symptoms you may be experiencing. A night guard is a removable appliance that fits over the biting surface of the teeth so it takes the brunt of the force of any grinding, not the teeth.
There can be a fine line between needing a night guard and having TMJ (the temporomandibular joint – jaw joint) problems which require additional treatment. The clenching and grinding can also lead to problems in the jaw joint, but often night guards can help stop the development of further TMJ problems, in addition to protecting the teeth.
This procedure is rather simple.
First, an impression is taken of your upper and lower teeth. The models from these impressions are then sent off to a dental lab for appliance fabrication. We typically use a lower Gelb/Tempromandibular type of appliance.
When the appliance arrives we have you back and fit the appliance to your mouth and to your bite. Instructions vary on how long to wear the appliance, depending on individual cases, but they are typically worn just at night.
If you believe you are having problems which could me improved with the use of a night guard, give us a call to schedule an appointment for a complete examination and x-rays. Once Dr. Seaman has completed an examination and it is confirmed that a night guard will help you, then we will proceed.
