Are you a boxer or athlete? If so, wearing a mouth guard comes completely naturally to you. In the more likely scenario that you are not a boxer or athlete, you should still consider wearing a nightguard from a dentist in Kitchener. This simple device can protect and preserve your dental and general health in several ways. Here are a few reasons to wear a nightguard.
Nightguards near you will protect your teeth from sleep bruxism
If you’ve sustained damage to your dental work and awoken with jaw pain and even a reduced range of motion in your jaw, you may be experiencing sleep bruxism. Sleep bruxism is a condition where people clench their jaw and grind their teeth, exposing them to pressures far beyond normal day to day use. Sleep or awake bruxism can cause serious damage to your teeth, and undermine your lifestyle and general health. A mouth guard in Kitchener can help. Your dentist can provide a custom-formed night guard that will ease some of the pressure imposed on your jaw, and impose a barrier between the biting surface of your teeth.
You’ll experience fewer headaches and less face pain
Whether or not you suffer from bruxism, the muscles in your face and jaw get a thorough workout during the day — talking, chewing, biting, chewing, and even sports and other activities. All those tensions, movements, and pressures can sometimes produce occasional stiffness, soreness, and reduced range of motion. Those symptoms don’t necessarily indicate any problem, just that the affected muscles could use a bit of a break. Night guards near you can give those muscles that well-deserved break. After nights wearing a custom night guard, your face and jaw may feel more relaxed upon waking up.
Mouth guards in Kitchener will help you sleep better
Do you struggle to fall or stay asleep? Sleeping problems can often be associated with symptoms relating to bruxism, temporomandibular dysfunction, muscle tiredness or soreness, or just an innocuous inability to relax. A night guard can help with all those symptoms and encourage physical relaxation that may make it easier for you to fall asleep and to stay asleep.
You’ll eliminate the need for costly dental work
The effects of jaw clenching and teeth grinding can undermine your health and the cosmetic appearance of your teeth. A dentist near you can provide a wide range of cosmetic and restorative dentistry options to address those consequences — from compounding, inlays, outlays, replacement fillings, etc. Those dental procedures are readily available and easily accessible, but there’s no denying that they come at a cost of time and money. Wearing a night guard as you sleep may protect your teeth from all those issues, and eliminate the need for any of those cosmetic dentistry procedures.
Reduce snoring and sleep apnea
Much as we often make light of it, snoring can be a real detriment to your sleep and even your relationships. After all, your sleep isn’t the only sleep interrupted. Sleep apnea — a condition where your breathing is interrupted repeatedly throughout the night — can also affect your sleep, but also seriously undermine your health. Snoring and sleep apnea are very different conditions, but are often both related to the positioning of your jaws and tongue as you sleep. Your dentist can play a significant role in addressing snoring and sleep apnea by providing a custom-fit night guard to place your teeth and jaw in the best possible position to allow you to breathe properly.
Night guards in Kitchener will help keep your teeth where they belong
This one may surprise you. If you think about it, you wouldn’t be surprised that a child’s teeth move around in their jaw. If you really think about it, you’d realize that even adult teeth move. After all, that’s the point of orthodontic work. But childhood and orthodontic work aside, your teeth drift quite naturally in your jaw, especially if you have less than ideal bone density or have suffered periodontal disease. Wearing night guards in Kitchener can hold your teeth where they belong overnight while you receive treatment for any underlying conditions and to prevent the progression of tooth mobility and potential tooth loss.
Getting and wearing night guards near you is quick and easy. Considering all the benefits of wearing one, they’re a no brainer. To take the next step to protect your health by wearing a night guard, contact a dentist near you.