You may think no differences exist between a mouthguard and a night guard because these appliances appear similar. However, while mouthguards and night guards protect your teeth, they offer protection differently.
Mouthguards help protect your teeth if involved in contact sporting activities where impacts on your mouth can damage your teeth. On the other hand, a night guard inhibits you from grinding and clenching your teeth if you are affected by bruxism.
Sporting activities and teeth grinding can damage your teeth, putting them at risk of fractures and other and other dental health problems. It helps if you discuss which appliance is best for your needs with the dentist 46321. In addition, you must ensure you acquire a device that works best for your specific situation.
Night Guards Are Beneficial against Teeth Grinding
You may only discover you grind your teeth once your bed partner awakens you, complaining about the loud noises you make when sleeping. The only indication you might have from teeth grinding is jaw soreness and headaches when you wake up in the morning. However, when you visit your dentist for a routine appointment, the professional will notice worn enamel during a dental cleaning and suggest receiving treatment for bruxism to prevent additional damage to your teeth.
Besides worn enamel, you may also have sensitive teeth, jaw pain, headaches after waking, sleep disruption, and tight or tired jaw muscles. If left untreated, bruxism permanently damages your teeth and gums, making it essential to inquire about getting a mouthguard for teeth grinding with the dentist in Munster, IN. In contrast, the dentist will suggest a night guard instead of a sports mouthguard to help stop grinding your teeth. The appliance is a protective barrier between your upper and lower teeth by separating them to prevent teeth grinding.
After the dentist assesses your condition and determines the severity of your situation, they will recommend getting a customized night guard fabricated especially for you by taking dental impressions from a dental laboratory to customize your night guard. You must revisit the dentist in about a week to collect your night guard, which the dentist will check to ensure you can sleep and breathe comfortably with the appliance in your mouth.
Mouthguards Are Safety Devices against Injuries
If you are involved in contact sporting activities, you will know that visits to an emergency dentist are just around the corner unless you have a protective device over your teeth to safeguard your mouth. If you discuss your sporting activities with your dentist, they will undoubtedly recommend wearing a sports mouthguard to protect your teeth from fractures or breakage.
The suggestion by the dentist will encourage you to walk into the market to purchase the first available mouthguard near you from a sports goods store because they are affordable. However, are you aware that over-the-counter mouthguards fitting over your upper teeth offer minimal protection and often do not fit correctly? In addition, they make it challenging for you to breathe or speak and are not durable as custom-made appliances. Therefore you must discuss a customized sports mouthguard with your dentist, which they provide by taking impressions of your teeth and mouth before delivering it in about a week. In addition, sports mouthguards customized by dentists adequately protect your teeth from damage from tackles when playing football or basketball. You can also use sports mouthguards for noncontact sports like ice skating or cycling, where the risks of injuries by falling are always present.
If your child has braces and needs mouthguards when playing sports, dentists can create an appliance to fit over the braces on the upper and lower teeth. Therefore you must ensure you seek dental appliances like night guards or mouthguards from a dentist without confusing them, which is other because they serve different purposes.
If mouthguards protect your teeth from impacts on your mouth when awake when involved in sporting activities, night guards prevent damage to your teeth from habits like teeth grinding that will make you need expensive cosmetic treatments from dentists to conceal damage from bruxism that leaves you with enamel erosion, sensitivity, and chips, and breaks in your teeth to impact your smile. Therefore if you want adequate protection for your teeth against a specific issue, you must discuss your needs with your dentist before purchasing any dental appliance over the counter because you think it may be a suitable device.
Whether you need a custom fit night guard for a sports mouthguard, it helps if you discuss your requirements with Family Dental Care — Munster because they provide these devices for adults and children. Consult with them today to discuss your needs and receive a customized dental appliance to protect your teeth from grinding or impacts on your mouth.