Who wears a night guard on their teeth?

[crookedspire]

Been to the Dentist today for the usual dreaded check up. My dentist has said I'm grinding my teeth at night so has decided that I need a night guard on the bottom row of teeth. I'm not jumping for joy with the idea to be honest, who wears one and what are the pros and cons of wearing this night guard?

[peak4]

Many years ago I had to wear one for a sore jaw, as I was grinding too.

It was only for a small few weeks to get me out of the subconscious habit, then all was fine again.

[medusa]

My ex-husband used to wear one, and he wore one out every 6-9 months, showing quite how much he ground his teeth.

 

From the point of view of the sleeping partner of a tooth grinder, I can tell you that it's lovely when the dreadful noise stops and it leads to much better sleep quality

 

From the tooth grinder's point of view the major action of the tooth guard is to reduce the surface friction when grinding. The guards are made to fit your teeth, so the pressure when wearing one is nothing like it is when wearing a brace, for instance. It fits over your lower teeth and just makes a low friction surface that allows for movement without that movement damaging your teeth further.

 

You do have to be careful with hygiene because if you put your mouth guard in without cleaning your teeth you can imagine that it prevents your saliva from reducing plaque build up during the night, but it should not be uncomfortable and may reduce or relieve completely any jaw or neck pain that you have, along with headaches or migraines caused by the muscle tension overnight.

 

Genuinely, the intervention is so slight that there's not really a good reason NOT to wear it and give it a good go. They're not expensive (or at least they didn't used to be) and they're made from a tooth imprint which only needs to be taken once. As your guard is delivered you get a plaster version of your teeth so any future mouth guards can be made from that.

[Guest]

I wear a gumshield in bed for when our lass punches me when I snore!

[Magilla]

Been to the Dentist today for the usual dreaded check up. My dentist has said I'm grinding my teeth at night so has decided that I need a night guard on the bottom row of teeth. I'm not jumping for joy with the idea to be honest, who wears one and what are the pros and cons of wearing this night guard?

 

I used to a while ago, grinding was damaging my teeth and causing some jaw joint (TMJ) issues. It worked, and wasn't overly intrusive.

 

If the dentist says you need one, I'd take their advice.

[monkeygirl]

i was advised to wear one several years ago but i just couldn't sleep with it in. i'd say give it a try and see if it works for you

[Alcoblog]

I've never heard of these teeth guards before, but they sound like such a good idea I'm thinking I'll get some myself.

Does anyone know if they're designed to take an all night submersion in a jar of Steradent?

[smithy266]

You will hardly notice you are wearing one. I had one, it was called a bra! Bite raising appliance. Sorted my problem. Don't worry, just use it.

[GLASGOWOODS]

I've never heard of these teeth guards before, but they sound like such a good idea I'm thinking I'll get some myself.

Does anyone know if they're designed to take an all night submersion in a jar of Steradent?

 

If you grind your teeth Alcoblog, may i suggest this rather unsavoury method- number 6 on this list...http://www.oddee.com/item_96596.aspx

Edited April 25, 2016 by GLASGOWOODS

[tzijlstra]

During the peak of my PhD-anxiety I was grinding teeth like mad, I had a mouth guard and it helped resolve a lot of problems I didn't even realise were related (headaches when waking up being the most important).