Mouth Guard for Clenching Teeth

Millions of people clench their teeth during sleep and may need a

Mouth Guard for Clenching Teeth

to help. Most of them are not aware that they do. Untreated, and as with grinding, clenching is also called A common problem that occurs due clenching is fractured teeth. Many times, they require a crown to restore. The average cost of a crown is many times that of a night guard. Many people who clench have several teeth restored with crowns. It is evident, from a standpoint of cost-benefit, the decision to use a mouth guard for clenching teeth is easy.

The next question is: “What type of product should you get?” An important point to remember is that the night guards are custom mouth guards.  This means you must be from a model of your teeth.  They should never be “one size fits all” .  The best products are made of hard acrylic or laminated materials.

A hard material is better for since when someone begins to grind their teeth, it just slides freely on the hard surface. This will allow the jaw joint, muscles and teeth to be in harmony undoubtedly provide protection.  In many cases, the amount of grinding time is reduced or eliminated completely.

Softer materials can be used, but not recommend it. While a soft material protects the teeth, does not prevent bleeding from the points of the teeth with this appliance. In doing so, it sends a message to your brain that something is interfering  with the normal function of the jaw joint, muscles and teeth.  As a result, your brain tells them to keep grinding, with great force, in order to eliminate the annoying interference.  Although you do not wear down teeth, which have a significant risk of creating jaw joint (TMJ), muscles and headache problems if not worse.

Usually, the best way to buy a night guard is from your dentist directly, but there are very good qualities that are also available. That said, there are few good quality dental laboratories, offer personalized and overnight appliances. This gives you the opportunity to buy the same product online you receive from your dentist. The cost, is also significantly lower. As a result, more people are able to afford this level of protection of value. Just remember to always get the hard material compared to the soft for your mouth guard for clenching teeth.

Mouth Guard Care

If it is determined that you need a mouth guard then you will know about

Mouth Guard Care

so they will last longer.  When you clench or grind unconsciously teeth Bruxism increases the mobility of the teeth, increases the loss of bone that holds them, teeth may feel sensitive to hot or cold foods, pain or difficulty when opening and closing the mouth, pain head, neck, shoulders, and a feeling of not waking refreshed.

Bruxism is related to stress and type of bite, it helps us to have as little stress as possible. Everyone is different, there are people who used meditation, relaxation exercises, other aerobic exercise which helps, prayer, including a conversation with a good friend or psychologist.  You will want to seek medical attention since the condition could be TJD.  Both conditions can be greatly helped with a mouth guard so you will need to know how to proceed with mouth guard care so there will not be an issue with bacteria.

For the mouth guard a mold is made to fit the upper teeth made of acrylic (plastic) that serves to remove stress while you sleep in order to prevent more damage.  There are home kits such as the one to the above left so you can do it yourself.

Here are tips on proper mouth guard care :

• Keep stored in its case as it is transparent and very easy to throw it away, or miss place.
• Wash with a stiff bristle brush and liquid dish soap, Dial contains triclosan prevents bacterial growth. Do not wash with toothpaste.
• You can do a more thorough cleaning once a week by placing 2 drops of bleach in a cup of water and leave it for half an hour, wash again.
• Always take the mouth guard to appointments for your dentist to check and perform an ultrasonic cleaning and check the fit.
• Use at night to sleep and day only in situations that you notice the teeth clenching, or use as directed.
• If you have joint pain in front of the ear stop using them and contact your dentist.

There are different types of mouth guards so you will want to double check the instructions that come with the mouth guard to make sure there is nothing further that needs to be done.  With the many brands there may also be variations in care so to be on the safe side whether you choose the disposable, over the counter or through your dentist, they will all need proper mouth guard care.

Temporomandibular Joint Disorders

There are many people that have

Temporomandibular Joint Disorders

also known as TMJD, TMD, or TMJ syndrome, and may not even know it.  The temporomandibular joints are the two points, one on each side of the face just in front of the ears, where the temporal bone of the skull meets the lower jaw (mandible).  Ligaments, tendons and muscles that support joints are responsible for the movement of the jaw.

The temporomandibular joint is one of the most complex parts of the body:  It opens and closes like a hinge and slides forward, backward and sideways, and is under great pressure during chewing.  The temporomandibular joint contains a specialized piece of cartilage, called the disc, which prevents friction between the lower jaw and skull.

The temporomandibular joint disorders include problems related to joints and muscles that surround it.  Often, the cause of temporomandibular joint disorder is a combination of muscle tension and anatomic problems within the joints. Sometimes it also involves a psychological component.  These disorders are more common in women aged 20 to 50 years of age.

Symptoms include headache, tenderness of the masticatory muscles and clicking or locking of the joint.  Sometimes the pain seems to manifest itself in the vicinity of the joint rather than in it.  The temporomandibular joint disorders can lead to recurring headaches that do not respond to standard therapy.

Almost always the dentist based the diagnosis of temporomandibular joint disorder in the patient’s medical history and physical examination.  The test involves pressing on one side of the face or place your finger into the patient’s ear and gently press forward as it opens and closes the jaws.  In addition, the dentist also gently palpate the masticatory muscles to detect pain or tenderness, and see if the jaw slips to bite.

Internal view of the temporomandibular joint

Special techniques such as X-rays can help diagnose.  When the dentist believes the disc is in the opposite to its normal position (a condition called internal displacement), makes an X-ray dye injected into the joint (arthrography).  In special cases it is a computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to find out why no response to treatment, but exploration is expensive. Additional tests are of little use.  Dentists often use electromyography to analyze muscle activity and monitor treatment and, less frequently, to establish the diagnosis.

Approximately 80 % of people get better without treatment after 6 months.  The temporomandibular joint disorders requiring treatment, the most common to least, are pain and muscle tension, internal displacement, arthritis, injuries or trauma, excessive or reduced joint mobility and developmental abnormalities.

In most cases, muscle overload and muscle spasm causes pain around the jaw, usually as a result of psychological stress, which leads to clenching or grinding teeth (bruxism) requiring a mouth guard for grinding teeth is the main treatment.