Protect Your Teeth from Grinding
Some patients find that they clench and grind their teeth, especially at night while they are sleeping. This is known as nocturnal bruxism. Some patients are aware that they do this because their jaw and facial muscles are sore in the morning when they awake. Others have been told by a dentist that they probably have this habit due to visible wear to their teeth. Other patients are told by a parent/significant other that they can hear the patient grinding at night.
The risk that nocturnal bruxism presents is twofold:
- loss of tooth structure from wear to the biting surfaces of the teeth, and
- increased risk of breaking the teeth due to all of the excess pressure.
A night guard is a custom made comfortable kind of mouthguard that you wear while you sleep. It functions by protecting the teeth from further wear and reducing the risk of breaking teeth.
Making a night guard is simple. We will take impressions of your upper and lower teeth to send to the lab. Once the night guard is made you come back to the office for a try in and care instructions. Please call our dental office in Willow Grove at (215) 657-3000 to schedule an appointment for your custom nightguard.