Night Guards & Dental Splints
Clenching or grinding your teeth at night often happens unconsciously. When you grind your teeth, the jaw clenches, and your teeth rub against each other.
Over time, bruxism can cause the back tooth to wear down or develop cracks. The clenching of your jaw strains your jaw muscles and those in your temples, which gives you headaches and jaw pain when you wake up.
What is Nightguard?
Night guards is a removable appliance placed on top of the teeth which acts like a barrier, to protect them from wear and tear. It helps to reduce the impact of clenching and grinding during sleep.
Grinding refers to the movement of the jaw back and forth, while clenching refers to the movement of biting down with pressure for an extended period of time. However, many people are unaware that they even have the disorder because it often occurs at night during sleep.
During these movements, teeth could lose their protective outer layer, which is called the Enamel. Enamel cannot be replaced once it's lost, and the loss of Enamel can cause hypersensitivity to hot and cold food/beverages.
Over time, it can lead to damaged/broken teeth, jaw disorders, periodontal disease, bone loss and headaches.
What are Sport Mouthguards?
Mouthguards are worn over the top row of teeth during contact sports such as football, basketball, and rugby to help prevent an oral injury. They protect against broken teeth, bitten lips and other injuries to the mouth.
Differences of Night Guard and Sport Mouthguards
Both oral appliances are used to protect your teeth, however they do so in different ways. A sport guard protects your teeth while you are playing contact sports, while a night guard is worn at night to stop you from grinding or clenching teeth while you sleep.
If you’re not sure which one do you need, please contact us to book an appointment with our dentists for consultation.
