Sleep Guards and Appliances Night Guards, Snore Guards, Sports Guards, Migraine Appliances
“My teeth are sore when I wake up in the morning.”
“My teeth are wearing down.”
“I know my headaches come from clenching at night.”
“My teeth are starting to move out of place.”
Do you want to protect your teeth from undue wear from grinding? Do you want possible solutions for headaches? A consultation can help to find out what option to select.
These devices are all designed to protect teeth.
Night Guards
These are used for a number of reasons. Sometimes the person has had a lot of dental work and would like to protect them from possible wear or chipping, A night guard can cushion the teeth and keep them from contacting the opposing teeth during sleep, protecting them from undue wear and tear. Sometimes a person has had a lot of wear or erosion on the teeth and is not ready or able to fully restore the teeth. In this case, a night guard will also protect the teeth from further wear from grinding during sleep. Sometimes a person has a grinding habit and wants to prevent their teeth from wearing down, and is willing to wear a night guard. Night guards come in different designs and materials.
A thinner material is often used for people who have more sensitivity to bulkiness in the mouth, or who have a strong gag reflex. A more flexible material allows the nightguard to feel more comfortable as well. A thicker harder material can be used for people who want to have something more substantial that does not have to be replaced as often. Nightguards are made by taking a mold of the teeth and then making a model. This is then used to make a custom nightguard that fits accurately over those particular teeth.
Snore Guards, Sports Guards, and Migraine Appliances
Snore guards, sports guards, and migraine appliances are made using individual model replicas of the teeth as well. Snore guards are similar to obstructive sleep apnea appliances, but may not be approved by the FDA for the treatment of OSA. These appliances are meant to gently keep the jaw from falling back with gravity, allowing more airway space and less snoring. They do far more than help make a person sleep more comfortably–they can put less stress on a marriage or relationship where one partner is a loud snorer and the other is a light sleeper.
The type of appliance design best suited for the individual depends on personal preferences, habits, the health of the teeth and gums, and the architecture of the palate. Unlike snore guards, night guards, and OSA appliances, sports guards are used when a person is awake, playing some type of contact sport. The sports guards cushion the teeth and allows the teeth to have some protection from possible impact during a game. Sports guards can possibly reduce trauma to teeth from hard impact that would often result in the person needing root canal treatment, sometimes years later. Migraine appliances are often made so that the muscles involved with some migraines can no longer activate, providing the desired relief.