mouth guard, night guard dental office in Tigard

Oral Health Mouth Guard

Protecting Your Dental Health with a Mouth Guard

At TruDentistry, we are committed to the oral health of our patients. You will find some good articles in our article section that focus on the importance of regular dental checkups, brushing and flossing. But there is another aspect of good oral health that also deserves some attention.  So, let’s explore the benefits of the mouth guard.

A mouth guard is a very useful product for protecting teeth in certain situations. Whether you are athletic or someone who is prone to grinding your teeth at night, you can protect your teeth with a mouth guard.

We will take an in-depth look at the benefits of the mouth guard and how this simple product can protect your teeth from a range of potential hazards.

 

Mouth Guard for Athletic People

A properly fitted mouth guard will help in preventing dental injuries while engaging in contact sports such as football, basketball, soccer, or even volleyball.

There are plenty of non-contact sports that people love of which a mouth guard can also help in preventing tooth injuries such as bicycling and skateboarding.

A mouth guard offers a protective barrier.  It will absorb and redistribute any impact that might be received in an accident.

Wearing a mouth guard as you are participating in these types of activities, will reduce the risk for chipping or breaking teeth, injuries to soft tissue, and fractured jawbone.

Mouth Guards and Protecting Braces

If you wear braces or any other type of orthodontic appliances, you will want to do everything you can to prevent damage to your braces and reduce oral injury risk while engaged in physical activities.

When a mouth guard is used in sports, and especially when it is fitted professionally by our dentists, you can have a sense of security that you are doing what you can to protect your teeth.  A secure fit will give you comfort and will allow you to breathe and speak with ease, and hopefully this will enhance your concentration and focus to excel at your game.

 

 

Night Guards and Teeth Griding

Some people grind their teeth in their sleep.  Often, they do not know that they are doing it, because they do it while they sleep.

They wake up in the morning with a sore jaw, or a headache. This grinding or clenching your teeth while sleeping is known as bruxism.  Over time, this condition can do damage to your teeth as you grind or clench, you are waring down your teeth. 

There is excessive force being applied to the teeth that can result in dental issues such as, chipped teeth and enamel wear down. The night guard can protect you from this and more such as the risk of developing jaw and joint disorders or even the formation of temporomandibular joint disorders, also known as TMJ.

Your night guard will act as a cushion.  It will absorb the pressure caused by bruxism and prevent any further damage to your teeth and helps to alleviate stain on your jaw joints.  This will help to reduce the risks that we have been addressing.

This barrier that is created between the upper and lower teeth, when you wear your mouth guard to bed, can help you sleep better.  Believe it or not, when you grind your teeth at night it can create a noise, that can interrupt you or your partner’s sleep. A night guard can actually help you have a more peaceful night’s sleep.  It also helps you to wake up more refreshed.

Wearing the night guard at night will significantly reduce your jaw pain, your headaches, and the muscle soreness that comes with teeth griding. The mouth guard allows a more relaxed and comfortable position of the jaw. In doing so, facial muscles get a chance to rest properly as well.

Choose Your Mouth Guard Wisely

There are options when choosing this device. You can find pre-formed and ready to wear mouth guards in most sporting goods stores.  These types of devices offer basic protection, but they lack a proper fit.  This makes them not only less comfortable but also less effective because they lack a good fit which makes them less effective in absorbing impact.

If you are seeking optimal protection and comfort, then consider a custom fitted mouth guard. This is where TruDentistry come in.  We can create a custom-fitted guard that will ensure a precise fit.  The device is conformed to your unique dental anatomy, which makes this form of protection the gold standard of a mouth guard.

We utilize our state-of-the-art scanner to easily scan your teeth so that when we produce your mouth guard in our dental lab, you will have an exact match to your unique mouth structure. This will be the best way to get not only a good fit, but a comfortable fit, and at the same time, offer up the best protection.

If you struggle with teeth grinding your teeth or engage in athletic experiences, wearing a mouth guard is a very good investment in your oral health. Protecting the teeth and any orthodontic appliances, will reduce negative impact on your teeth and will play a vital role in the preservation of your smile.

You will find peace of mind in knowing that you are doing what you can to be proactive in the protection of your teeth.  When it comes to dental issues, prevention is always a good idea.

If you or anyone in your family is interested in obtaining a professionally made mouth guard, spend a moment with us and let’s see if a professional mouth guard is the right choice for you.

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