Nightguards for Bruxism – West Caldwell, NJ
Keep Your Teeth Safe at Night
For some patients, headaches and jaw pain can reduce their quality of life. A clenching and grinding habit, called bruxism, or regular jaw pain, called temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder, can make sleeping, waking up, and chewing uncomfortable. Fortunately, Dr. Magid offers customized orthotic devices to help ease your jaw pain and keep you from needing an unexpected visit to your emergency dentist. Continue reading or call us to learn more about nightguards for bruxism in West Caldwell.
Why Choose Magid Dental Care for Nightguards for Bruxism?
- Fully Customized Oral Appliances
- Kind, Understanding, Ivy League-Trained Dentist
- Dental Team That Always Spends Time with Patients
What Problems Can Untreated Bruxism Cause?
A nocturnal clenching and grinding habit places excessive wear on your teeth and leads to other problems, including:
- Shifting bite
- Worn-down teeth
- Tooth sensitivity
- Headaches
- Neck pain
- Shoulder pain
- Cracked teeth
Signs of TMJ Disorder
When left untreated, bruxism can cause degeneration or dysfunction with your jaw joints. TMJ disorder can cause additional symptoms, including:
- Clicking or popping joints
- Locking jaw joints
- Pain
- Facial swelling
- A misaligned bite
- Migraines
- Tinnitus – ringing in the ears
- Fatigue
Without treatment, TMJ disorder rarely resolves on its own and can cause irreparable damage to your teeth and jaw joints.
How Do We Treat TMJ Disorder & Bruxism?
The first line of treatment for both bruxism and TMJ disorder includes behavior modification and an occlusal guard, or nightguard. Certain behaviors should also be avoided, such as:
- Alcohol use
- Drug use
- Use of stimulants such as coffee
- Smoking
By incorporating stress management techniques and exercise, you may be able to reduce the amount of bruxing you experience.
Customized Nightguards
A nightguard provides a barrier between your upper and lower teeth. Made of hard acrylic, a nightguard keeps your teeth from meeting and grinding against each other. This helps prevent fractures, cracks, and wear. Since acrylic is softer than your tooth enamel, it can also provide relief from headaches. The acrylic on the surface of your nightguard can be adjusted in such a way to gently guide the position of your jaw into a more relaxed posture.
We also offer smaller profile nightguards that fit over your upper or lower front teeth. This type of guard is known as an NTI (Nociceptive Trigeminal Inhibition) device, and it keeps your posterior teeth from coming together. It also guides your jaw into a more comfortable position to relieve any pain in the facial nerves and jaw joints.
Customized Athletic Mouthguards
While nightguards and splints provide protection from damage due to clenching and grinding, athletic mouthguards provide protection from sports, activities, and trauma.
Athletic mouthguards are useful for athletes who participate in sports such as:
- Football
- Baseball
- Wrestling
- Soccer
- Basketball
- Hockey
We recommend them for any activity where you could sustain damage from a flying object or by falling. Mouthguards protect your teeth by absorbing some of the force from impact. We create custom mouthguards to provide you with the most comfortable option that fits snugly and stays put when you need it most.