Health Benefits of Wearing a Nightguard

If you’re waking daily to a throbbing headache or jaw pain, you may have a problem with bruxism, also known as teeth grinding. Many people are unaware that they grind their teeth in their sleep until they’re informed of this fact by their dentist. Fortunately, this problem can be remedied fairly easily by wearing a nighttime mouthguard for sleeping. Nightguards are protective plastic devices worn over the top or bottom set of teeth to protect them from teeth grinding. Your Noblesville, Indiana dentist, Dr. Robert Holloway, can customize a mouthguard for your use.

Health Benefits of Wearing a Mouthguard 

Teeth grinding can impact your oral health and lead to problems with your general health as well. By keeping your teeth from grinding, mouthguards can protect your teeth and overall health. The following are some of the health benefits you stand to gain by wearing a mouthguard. 

• Undamaged teeth – A nightguard can protect your teeth from chipping, cracking, or breaking due to constant clenching and grinding. 
• Fewer headaches – Bruxism can lead to frequent headaches due to the pressure of teeth grinding throughout the night. By preventing bruxism, nightguards can keep headaches to a minimum.
• Decreased jaw pain – Eliminating bruxism reduces pressure on your jaw muscles to eliminate jaw soreness and TMJ pain.
• Better sleep – A mouthguard can improve the quality of your sleep as you won’t be clenching and grinding your teeth all night. It can also reduce problems with snoring, as you’ll be able to breathe easier once you stop clenching your teeth. 

Customized Mouthguard for Grinding Teeth

Generic nightguards provide some measure of protection against teeth grinding. However, they won’t be as comfortable or effective as a customized device. By taking impressions of your teeth, Dr. Holloway can have a TMJ mouthguard specially made just for you. A customized mouthguard offers greater comfort and protection against nighttime bruxism.

To learn more about nightguards for teeth grinding and how they can benefit you, contact the team at Robert L. Holloway, DDS in Noblesville, IN, at (317) 672-0950.