Find Out Why Your Teeth Hurt After Wearing a Night Guard
More than half of the dentists who were surveyed by the American Dental Association (ADA) found an increase in the number of people grinding their teeth last year. Fortunately, you don’t have to deal with headaches, possible fractured teeth, discomfort or pain.
At Aesthetic Dental Partners, we’re your San Antonio dentist. We’re here to make sure you have the best experience possible with your dental care with solutions to solve teeth grinding, which can be as simple as wearing a night guard to protect your teeth.
What Is a Night Guard?
A night guard is often called a mouth guard, bite splint or nocturnal bite plane. Your dentist will typically recommend a night guard if you’ve been grinding or clenching your teeth at night. While there are several kinds of night guards that you can buy online or over the counter, those options are often not as effective as the custom night guards that we’re able to offer.
Depending on your needs, your dentist may recommend a night guard for your top teeth, bottom teeth or both the top and the bottom. The night guard is made from laminate or acrylic to protect your teeth and prevent tooth-on-tooth contact when you wear your night guard at night.
Benefits of Night Guards
In San Antonio, grinding teeth is one of the most common issues we address in our practice. You might need a night guard because you’re experiencing additional anxiety or stress at work or in life. It could be that missing teeth or misalignment could lead to you grinding your teeth. Sleep apnea is also associated with grinding teeth. Fortunately, night guards are designed to help. Here are the main benefits.
- Protection: A night guard can prevent damage to fillings, bridges and crowns. It can also prevent fractured teeth, chips or other loss-of-tooth possibilities.
- Absorption: A night guard can absorb the force that used to involve grinding of your teeth, so your jaw soreness and headaches should improve.
- Sleep: You should sleep better. Your muscles will relax, and you should be able to sleep more soundly.
Why Is the Night Guard Causing Discomfort?
There could be several reasons why your mouth guard is causing discomfort at night. It could be because you’re just getting used to wearing it or it could be because it’s not fitting properly. Here are three top reasons you might experience discomfort while wearing your night guard.
- Over-the-counter night guards: If you are using a night guard that you bought online or in a drugstore, it is probably not designed to fit your mouth and may be made of low-quality materials. When it doesn’t fit properly or when it’s not of sufficient quality, you may experience discomfort.
- Shifting teeth: It could just be that your teeth are shifting or your jaw is misaligned. Even if we created a custom night guard for you, we may need to discuss a new fit to accommodate your current needs.
- Enormous pressure: It could just mean that we should discuss stress relief measures in addition to your night guard. When you’re wearing a night guard at night, it relieves most of the pressure at night, but you may still be grinding your teeth during the day.
Next Step: Schedule an Appointment With Your San Antonio Dentist
At Aesthetic Dental Partners, we offer solutions for San Antonio teeth grinding as well as a range of other dental concerns. We’re rated the best San Antonio dentist because we offer the solutions that will best meet your needs. We’re proud of our reputation as a caring, compassionate dental practice, dedicated to brightening your smile.