Custom Fit Night Guards and Custom Fit Sports Mouth Guards
Night Mouth Guards
Grinding your teeth when you sleep can cause numerous problems including:
- Wearing down of your teeth
- Damaging tooth enamel
- Chronic jaw pain and headaches
Fortunately, you can protect your teeth with a custom mouth guard that you wear at night. mouthguard is a very simple oral appliance that is custom fit to your mouth. These high quality mouth guards can provide essential protection and prevent teeth grinding which can cause damage to your teeth.
Benefits of Custom Mouthguards for Use at Night:
Prevention of Bruxism
Bruxism is the act of grinding and clenching your teeth at night. A professionally fitted mouth guards at our Stone Oak dental office will provide a barrier between your upper and lower teeth. This barrier provides protection against bruxism and damage to your teeth.
Prevention of Headaches and Jaw Pain
Grinding and clenching of your teeth can cause pain in your jaw joint and result in painful headaches. Night guards can prevent this pain from happening.
Protect Your Dental Work
All the griding and clenching at night can cause damage to your dental work – including dental crown damage. Even dental implants can fail over time from excessive grinding. Night guards are an easy way to prevent damage and expensive dental work.
Better Sleep
All the intense activity in your mouth resulting in headaches and jaw pain can obviously also affect your sleep. Night guards can help you wake up feeling more rested.
Custom Fit
At Blanco Crossing Dental, we will work with you to get you a custom fit night guard that fits snug to your teeth and prevents any damage from grinding. In addition, the custom fit will allow for easy breathing and it won’t obstruct your airway.
Athletic Mouth Guards
The American Dental Association recommends that sports mouthguards be used as essential equipment for sports participants from a very early age.
Stock Mouth Guards Don’t Offer a Great Fit
While stock mouth guards are cheap, they typically only come in a couple of different sizes. As a result, they usually don’t fit very well. In particular, those with smaller mouths and very large mouths may find it very difficult to find a comfortable fit. Breathing and talking can be a tremendous challenge with an off the shelf sports mouth guard.
Customized Mouth Guards
A properly fit athletic mouth guard at our San Antonio Dental Office will not only provide maximum protection for your teeth, but also won’t hamper sports performance. You’ll be sure to get a snug fit with a custom mouthguard. The mouthguard will stay in place and won’t obstruct your airway.
Differences Between a Sports Mouthguard and a Night Mouth Guard
We offer custom made mouth guards at our San Antonio (Stone Oak) dental office for both athletic and nighttime use. Each serves a specific purpose – and they aren’t interchangeable. A night mouthguard shouldn’t be used for athletics, and a sports mouthguard shouldn’t be used while sleeping. Here are the main differences between the two.
Different Purposes
A night mouth guard prevents damage caused by bruxism, while a sports mouth guard is meant to protect the teeth, tongue, and mouth from impact events during sports
Different Thicknesses
A night mouthguard is usually just thick enough to mitigate the effects of bruxism, while a sports mouth guard is significantly thicker to reduce the energy from impacts absorbed during sports activities
Coverage Differences
A night mouth guard only covers the upper teeth, while a sports mouth guard usually covers upper and lower teeth to provide full protection from potential impacts.
Material Differences
Night guards tend to be harder and more durable, while sports mouth guards have more elastic, impact absorbing qualities – this means that an athletic mouthguard may not last quite as long as night mouth guards.
Night guards tend to be harder and more durable, while sports mouth guards have more elastic, impact absorbing qualities – this means that an athletic mouthguard may not last quite as long as night mouth guards.
Frequently Asked Questions About Dental Guard and Athletic Guard Options
Do custom night guards prevent sleep apnea?
No – a standard custom night guard designed for teeth grinding does not treat or prevent sleep apnea — these are two different appliances serving different purposes. However, a specific type of oral appliance called a mandibular advancement device (MAD) is custom-fitted by a dentist and does treat mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea by repositioning the jaw forward to keep the airway open during sleep. If you have sleep apnea, it is worth asking Dr. Jabbour if a MAD may be helpful four your specific situation.
What is an occlusal guard?
An “occlusal guard” or “dental guard” is just another name for a night guard. It is the custom fitted dental also commonly called a night guard or bite guard — is the custom fitted dental appliance discussed at great length above that helps to prevent many dental issues – including bruxism.
Can a dental night guard cause sore teeth?
A properly fitted custom night guard should not cause tooth soreness — in fact, it should relieve the jaw and tooth pain associated with grinding. It can even help to prevent tooth damage. Soreness is most commonly a sign that the guard does not fit correctly, needs adjustment, or that you are still adapting to wearing it in the early days of use. If soreness persists beyond the initial adjustment period, bring the guard to your next appointment so your dentist can evaluate the fit and make any necessary modifications.
How can a night guard prevent teeth grinding that causes dental damage?
A night guard does not stop the grinding reflex itself — your jaw muscles will still contract during sleep — but it redirects that force onto the guard material rather than your tooth enamel. This prevents the enamel erosion, chipping, cracking, and flattening of the biting surfaces that occur when teeth grind directly against each other night after night. Over time, untreated grinding can cause significant structural damage requiring crowns, veneers, or other restorative treatment, making a night guard a much less costly form of protection.
How does a night guard affect jaw muscles? Hint: It may help to mitigate TMJ symptoms
A night guard helps reduce the strain placed on the jaw muscles by providing a stable, even biting surface that discourages the intense clenching that overworks those muscles during sleep. Many patients experience a reduction in morning jaw soreness, headaches, and facial muscle fatigue after consistently wearing a properly fitted guard. In cases involving TMJ disorder, a night guard can also help reduce joint inflammation by preventing the teeth from locking into positions that place uneven stress on the jaw joint.
