Grinding Your Teeth? Why You Should Get a Dental Guard Now

You may think grinding your teeth at night is harmless, but it’s more than just a bad habit. It can cause serious problems with your teeth, gums, jawbone and muscles.

Damage Caused by Teeth Grinding

You may have already noticed jaw pain and headaches after you wake up in the morning, but teeth grinding can also cause:
• Loosening or movement of teeth
• Cracked or broken teeth
• Tooth and gum sensitivity
• Shortening of teeth
• Gum recession
• Facial changes

Yes, you read that last one right—the shape of your face can actually change due to the effect teeth grinding has on your bone structure and facial muscles.

The good news? There’s an easy way to help prevent this damage—a dental guard.

A Dental Guard for Your Teeth

Many people immediately think of the mouth guards used in sports and shy away because they can’t imagine sleeping with something like that in their mouth. A nighttime dental guard doesn’t have to be big, bulky or uncomfortable. In fact, many are made from soft material that’s flexible and comfortable against your teeth. Many of today’s dental guards are sleek and easy to shape into a custom fit just for you.

Here’s how the dental guard helps:

The dental guard doesn’t stop you from clenching your jaw, though it may help lighten the tension (from clenching) and relieve the pressure on your jaw muscles. It stops the grinding of your upper teeth against your lower teeth. The guard provides a barrier that absorbs and disperses the force your clenching jaw applies, effectively helping to protect your teeth from damage due to grinding.

Dental guards also help keep the enamel on your teeth from wearing down, which helps preserve tooth structure and keeps teeth and gums from becoming sensitive to certain foods or temperatures.

DenTek offers a range of dental guard options:

• Ultimate Dental Guard – Ultra-light, slim design has cushioned bite pads to keep your teeth from grinding.
• Professional Fit – Full coverage guard has a patented forming tray for a close-to-professional fit at home.
• Comfort-Fit Dental Guard – Ready-to-use dental guard in a slim design.

You can find product directions on our website and on the packages. We also offer this one last piece of advice: Get your dental guard today before you suffer any damage from grinding your teeth!