Night Guards in Oak Lawn, IL to Protect from Teeth Grinding and Jaw Stress
At Identical Smiles, our professional team offers custom night guards in Oak Lawn, IL, for patients who clench or grind their teeth while sleeping. These dental appliances are comfortable to wear and offer an effective solution for alleviating jaw stress. Reducing the pressure on the jaw joints will help to reduce the risk of damaging your teeth due to grinding and clenching.
If you have headaches, jaw pain, or worn teeth, then it could likely be caused by nighttime grinding. You might not realize that this is happening while you sleep, but grinding can result in serious tooth damage over time. The good news is that modern dentistry makes it easy to protect your teeth and alleviate these symptoms by wearing an occlusal night guard.
The first step to protecting your teeth is to find a dental office near you to be fitted for a bite guard for sleeping. Our team at Identical Smiles is here to help, with customized guards that will relax your jaw and improve your sleep at the same time.
When Night Guards Are Recommended for Sleep-Related Tooth Damage
If you are someone who grinds or clenches your teeth while you are sleeping, then it’s essential that you take a proactive approach to protect your teeth. Teeth grinding (also known as bruxism) can cause minor wear right now, but add up to serious damage in the long run. Patients with untreated teeth grinding often experience issues such as jaw soreness, enamel wear, fractured teeth, and overall discomfort.
One way to alleviate the jaw soreness that you often wake up with is by wearing a night mouth guard while you are sleeping. This one change to your nighttime habits can have a significant impact on your life. Not only are you protecting your teeth from damage, but wearing a mouth guard for grinding teeth also helps many patients sleep better.
It’s important to understand that teeth grinding is much more than an inconvenience. When you are grinding your teeth while sleeping, it can result in serious, irreversible damage to your teeth in the future. Our team at Identical Smiles is here to help protect your teeth from dental damage.
Your teeth are constantly being damaged if you are grinding and clenching your teeth while sleeping. This grinding causes excessive wear to the enamel, which can result in a need for major dental restorations in the future.
Pay attention if you notice jaw pain or tension when you wake up in the morning. Wearing a night guard can reduce pressure on the jaw to alleviate these chronic symptoms.
One of the biggest problems of grinding and clenching at night is that these habits cause unnecessary wear and tear on your teeth. The damage really adds up over time. If your teeth are worn and cracking, then you need to take a proactive approach by wearing an occlusal bite guard.
High levels of dental sensitivity could be a sign that you are grinding your teeth while sleeping. If you notice new tooth sensitivity, then it’s time to schedule a consultation to see if you will benefit from a bruxism occlusal guard.
Why Custom Night Guards are Better Than Store-Bought Options
Even though you can find a dental occlusal guard at a nearby drugstore, the quality of these over-the-counter products doesn’t compare to the appliances you get from a dentist. Our team at Identical Smiles offers custom night guards that are fabricated using digital dental impressions. This process ensures a precise fit and the highest levels of comfort, which is essential since you will need to wear the night guard while sleeping.
The reality is that over-the-counter guards typically don’t provide sufficient protection. In fact, wearing a cheap bite guard can actually cause more problems with your bite alignment and lead to bigger complications in the future.
You need to be sure that your occlusal mouth guard is positioning your jaw and bite alignment correctly. A professional night guard for teeth is designed based on your unique needs, ensuring that you get the best results possible. Additionally, we can monitor your progress over time by evaluating your bite alignment and tooth wear patterns during your routine checkups.
Make sure that your mouth guard for sleeping is custom-designed to match your unique needs. A professional guard fits securely and doesn’t slip or move while in your mouth.
Your custom night guard helps to distribute your bite forces evenly, helping to achieve the best results overall.
One of the biggest reasons to wear professional occlusal guards is to prevent damage to your teeth. Untreated bruxism often results in the need for intensive dental restorations later on, such as crowns or even tooth extraction due to damage.
It’s amazing how much better you will feel after wearing a mandibular occlusal guard at night. These customized guards are designed with your comfort in mind. Many patients wake up with less pain and experience fewer headaches overall.
Occlusal Night Guards: Types, Designs, and Modern Technology
When your occlusal guard is designed at our local dental office in Oak Lawn, IL, it is custom-created using digital scanning and modern dental technology. These guards are designed to sit comfortably between the upper and lower teeth, which prevents harmful contact that causes tooth damage.
The type of guard that you will wear depends on the severity of your teeth grinding, as well as overall jaw alignment and your unique needs. We offer personalized treatment planning for every patient, ensuring the best results for everyone who comes to our office.
Digital Scanning
Many years ago, bite guards were designed by using uncomfortable impressions with a gooey substance that would go into your mouth. Now, we use digital scanning that is painless and easy to capture the details of your teeth, so the night guard can be created.
Material Options
Depending on your needs, we offer a soft occlusal guard for mild bruxism cases or a hard occlusal guard for heavy grinders. Our team at Identical Smiles will monitor your symptoms and progress to ensure you are using the right type of guard.
Professional Fabrication
Each night guard is created professionally to ensure long-term durability and optimal results for our patients.
Reliable Results
The technology used to create these night guards offers proven results that you can trust. You will get the results you desire when working with our expert team at Identical Smiles.
Post-Op Instructions for Night Guards
There is a bit of an adjustment period after you start wearing your custom night guard for teeth. But within a few days, it will start to feel completely natural to sleep with the night guard in your mouth. Most patients need one to two weeks to get used to wearing their night guard. Follow these important instructions when you start wearing an occlusal night guard:
- Even if it’s awkward, wear your occlusal bite guard every night. Consistency is key, especially during this adjustment period.
- You might experience mild jaw discomfort or increased saliva, but these symptoms usually resolve quickly.
- If you notice significant discomfort or pain from wearing a mouth guard for grinding teeth, then stop wearing it and contact our dental office right away.
- Each morning, remove the bite guard for sleeping and rinse it with cool water. Brush the night guard with a soft toothbrush and mild soap. Never use toothpaste, because the abrasive nature of the toothpaste can scratch the bite guard.
- When deeper cleaning is needed, the night guard can be soaked in a denture solution or hydrogen peroxide to sterilize it.
- Always keep night guards away from heat sources, including hot water or direct sunlight, because the heat can cause the surfaces to warp.
- Bring the mouth guard for sleeping to your dental appointments so that we can ensure that it fits correctly, especially after you have major dental work.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you wake up with symptoms such as jaw soreness or headaches, then it’s likely that you are grinding your teeth at night.
Even minor grinding and clenching can lead to tooth damage over time. If you have any symptoms of bruxism, then it’s important that you are consistent about wearing your night guard while sleeping.
Maintaining consistency with proper care means that your night guard can last for many years. The durability depends on the type of materials used and the intensity of your grinding.
Schedule a consultation at our dental office, located close to you in Oak Lawn, IL. We will evaluate your bite alignment and help you determine whether it is necessary to wear a night guard.
