Bloomsburg, Danville, and Lewisburg, PA
A nightguard is a custom-made oral appliance that is worn to protect your teeth if you have bruxism, a condition in which you clench and grind your teeth unknowingly while sleeping. It can be brought on by stress, an uneven bite, or poor sleep habits. If ignored, you could end up damaging your teeth, leading to costly repairs. Thankfully, there’s a simple solution to protecting your teeth if you have bruxism – wear a nightguard. Today on the blog, our Bloomsburg general dentists share five ways to tell that you need a nightguard and how wearing one could preserve your oral health if you suffer from bruxism.
What is bruxism?
Bruxism is when you clench and grind your teeth while sleeping. Often the sufferer is unaware of their habit. However, they may experience several symptoms that could indicate the condition. While our teeth are designed to withstand a great deal of biting force when eating, they aren’t indestructible. An excessive amount of pressure, such as from clenching and grinding your teeth, could damage the enamel and eventually lead to tooth loss if left untreated. Thankfully, a comfortable, easy-to-maintain nightguard may be all of the protection you need.
You might need a nightguard if you:
- Wake up with headaches
If you tend to wake up with headaches often, it could be because you are clenching and grinding your teeth at night. This constant force leads to tension and pressure on the jaw joints, which could irritate the nerves passing through, resulting in frequent headaches. It may be a good idea to track how often you have headaches, their severity, and how long they last so that you can discuss your findings with our Bloomsburg dentists.
- Have sore jaw joints or jaw pain
Do your jaw joints ever feel tender, sore, or painful? If there seems to be no other explanation for your discomfort, it could be related to inflammation of the tendons and muscles in the jaw from having untreated bruxism. Wearing a nightguard helps relieve jaw tension related to teeth clenching and grinding and may help decrease or eliminate jaw pain associated with bruxism.
- Experience tooth pain when biting
Do you ever experience tooth pain when biting or chewing, or do your teeth ever feel tender and sore? There is a myriad of reasons why you may experience tooth pain, such as cavities, gum disease, or a cracked or damaged tooth. However, if your tooth appears to be healthy, and there is no other explanation for experiencing tooth pain, then the cause for your discomfort could be bruxism. Wearing a nightguard can curb this discomfort as it absorbs the pressure when you clench and grind your teeth.
- Have tooth sensitivity
Tooth sensitivity can be common, and it may range from an occasional zing when drinking an icy cold beverage or eating food such as ice cream. In some cases, all that is needed is sensitivity-reducing toothpaste. However, if your tooth sensitivity occurs even when not eating or drinking anything, talk to your dentist. Untreated bruxism could actually cause abfractions in your dental enamel, which is when enamel flakes off, leaving small indentions on your teeth. Additionally, untreated bruxism could cause gum recession, which exposes the more sensitive dentin layer.
- Have damaged teeth or dental work?
Severe cases of untreated bruxism could badly damage your teeth. You might end up with chipped, broken, or fractured teeth or damaged dental work such as loose or broken fillings or dental crowns. Some cases of untreated bruxism may actually result in the teeth being worn down to tiny nubs, which not only could be painful but impacts the look of your smile. Talk to our Bloomsburg family dentists if you experience damaged teeth or existing dental work and believe that you might need a nightguard.
General Dentists in Bloomsburg, Danville, and Lewisburg
Wearing a nightguard is an easy, affordable way to protect your teeth from severely damaging them due to bruxism. If you think that you need a nightguard, it’s important to discuss this with your dentist at your next visit to our Bloomsburg dental office. Many dental insurance plans cover a portion of the cost for a nightguard, although you can’t put a price tag on your oral health! Protecting your teeth with a nightguard helps preserve your oral health, preventing unnecessary damage and costly repairs. To learn more or to schedule an appointment, please call Hamilton Dental Care at (570) 387-0533.
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