Nightguards
Do you wake up with a morning headache, ear pain, or painful TMJ? If you experience any of these symptoms after waking up, suspect a dental problem that affects your quality of sleep.
When we sleep, the teeth are separated due to a relaxed jaw. Some people are not blessed with a normal jaw position during sleep for several reasons, such as bruxism, sleep apnoea, or Temporomandibular diseases (TMD), which put the masticatory muscles and the jaw joint under stress during sleep and have destructive effects on the teeth.
Although being a painful condition and you may think it may require a complicated treatment, the solution lies in a simple device called a nightguard.
Nightguards are simple devices constructed with specific characters that relax your muscles and jaw during sleep.
Why Do I Need a Nightguard
Nightguards are considered effective treatment for three main conditions: bruxism, sleep apnoea, and TMD.
Bruxism
Bruxism is a condition of nonfunctional grinding or chewing activity without food. It mainly occurs during sleep due to stress, crooked teeth, premature contact, or related to some medication intake.
Bruxism has destructive effects on teeth, TMJ, and muscles, leading to tooth wear, sensitivity, and strained muscles. It also affects jaw joint health, causing jaw problems.
Nightguards are effective devices fabricated to act as cushions to separate the teeth during sleep to avoid the destructive effects of bruxism.
Sleep apnoea
Sleep apnoea is when breathing stops for a few seconds during sleep due to obstruction of the airways. This leads to oxygen deprivation for a few seconds and affects sleep.
Customised nightguards can be used to treat mild to moderate sleep apnoea. They are constructed with a special design to position the tongue and jaw forward to maintain open airways.
TMD
Prolonged bruxism can affect jaw joint health leading to temporomandibular disorders (TMD). Using a nightguard can prevent bruxism leading to a relief of the masticatory muscles and jaw joint.
An Ideal Nightguard Should
- Have a proper fit over the teeth
- Be durable
- Be easily maintained
- Not produce strange flavours in the mouth
- Be comfortable
- Not interfere with breathing and speaking
Advantages of Nightguards
- Provide better-quality sleep by maintaining open airways if they are customised to treat sleep apnoea.
- Prevent teeth wear and sensitivity if you are a bruxer.
- Reduces headache and muscle pain by minimising the stress exerted on muscles during bruxism.
- Cost-effective way to avoid teeth damage due to bruxism which may lead to more complicated and costly treatments, such as crowns.
Types of Nightguards
Over the counter nightguards
Overt-the-counter nightguards are easy to find and inexpensive, however, their quality and fit are incomparable to the custom-made nightguards. Overt-the-counter nightguards are stock made with one size, so they provide poor fit, are uncomfortable, can cause soft tissue lacerations, and are not durable.
Custom made nightguards
Custom-made nightguards are fabricated based on an impression of your teeth to provide the top comfort and fit. They are available in different types:
- Soft nightguards:
These are soft, thin, and flexible nightguards fabricated from a soft material, like rubber or silicone. They are recommended in cases of mild bruxism as they can easily be worn.
- Hard nightguards:
They are not resilient and are fabricated from acrylic resin or hard plastic material. These are recommended in cases with severe bruxism where any other material cannot withstand the forces and will easily wear.
- Dual laminated nightguards:
They are bulkier than the soft nightguards. They are formed of two sides; the inner side is a soft pliable and comfortable material, while the external side is hard. They combine the durability and comfort of the hard and soft types.
Construction of Custom-made Nightguards at Dulwich Dental Office
At Dulwich Dental Office we provide top-rated preventive dental care services to ensure the oral wellbeing of our patients. During your regular check-up, if any signs of bruxism are evident, our experts recommend the construction of custom-made nightguards.
Custom-made nightguards are durable, highly comfortable, and provide superior fit. The process is easy, all that is needed is an impression of your teeth.
Impressions can be made using conventional impression materials and trays or digital impressions.
At Dulwich Dental Office, we use cutting-edge technologies and tools throughout your treatment path to ensure the best results. Our digital impressions provide a more comfortable experience for our patients to record the teeth’ position in hassle hassle-free way. Digital impressions are also effective during the designing of the nightguards as they allow the incorporation of other information such as the bite record.
Nightguard construction requires two visits, the first visit is for impression making and the second is for delivery and fitting of the nightguard and to provide a detailed explanation of how to use and care for your custom-made nightguards.
Wearing nightguards is effective in providing a night of better sleep and waking up fresh in the morning without headaches or muscle pain. You may experience an increase in salivary secretions for the first few days of wearing the nightguards, which is normal and should resolve within a few days when you adapt to wearing your nightguard.
Nightguard Caring Tips
It is essential to follow these tips to ensure the durability of your nightguard:
- Rinse your nightguard every time before and after using it using warm water to remove any bacterial or plaque accumulation.
- Perform a deep clean for your nightguard once per week. Use a soft toothbrush and avoid toothpaste to prevent scratching of the surface. Denture cleansers are also beneficial to clean your nightguards.
- Dry your nightguard every time before storage to avoid bacterial build-up.
- Store your nightguard in a well-sealed ventilated container. We provide a protective hard container with vents for the storage of your nightguard.
- Avoid exposing the nightguard to excessive heat either through washing using hot water or leaving it exposed to direct sunlight, as this may damage the nightguard material and decrease its durability.
- Keep regular follow-ups with our dental experts to ensure the integrity of your nightguard.
Nightguards vs Mouthguards
Nightguards and mouthguards are both protective devices for your teeth. Mouthguard is a term used to describe the devices used to protect your teeth and soft tissues during playing contact sports or activities with high falling risks.
Nightguards are devices used to protect your teeth or to maintain open airways during sleep if you suffer from sleep apnoea or bruxism.
Mouthguards are harder and more resilient to absorb high-impact stresses, while nightguards may be constructed from thin soft material in mild bruxism cases.
Nightguards and mouthguards are good investments for oral well-being and avoiding more complicated treatments if teeth are damaged.
FAQs
A Nightguard is a special device constructed to protect your teeth, muscles, and jaw joints during sleep from the bad effects of bruxism and help maintain open airways in sleep apnoea cases.
Nightguards are considered an effective treatment in cases of bruxism, sleep apnoea, and temporomandibular disorders (jaw pain).
If you suffer from teeth sensitivity, wear, waking up with morning headache, migraines, jaw pain, or strained masticatory muscles, consult our experts to determine if the symptoms are relayed to bruxism, sleep apnoea, or jaw disorders and assess your need for a nightguard.
Nightguards last 1-5 years depending on the material and degree of bruxism. If your nightguard becomes uncomfortable or shows signs of wear or cracks, replace it.
Nightguards cannot alter your bite they are designed to relieve jaw pain and prevent undesired teeth contact during sleep.
Nightguards and mouthguards are both protective oral devices. Nightguards are used during sleep to prevent bruxism and relieve jaw and muscle pain. Mouthguards are used while playing contact sports or when involved in activities with high falling risk to protect your teeth from impact fracture.
Yes. Custom-made nightguards are constructed based on an impression of your teeth, so they include all existing restorations in the design.
Most commonly nightguards are used every night before sleep. Our dental experts will advise regarding the most suitable wearing pattern according to your case.
Caring for your nightguard is easy: clean it every time before and after use, apply a deep cleaning using a soft toothbrush and a denture cleansing solution once weekly, do not expose it to high temperatures or harsh chemicals, dry it before storage and store it in a hard well-ventilated container. It is essential to keep regular check-ups with our experts to ensure the integrity of your nightguard.
Although over-the-counter nightguards are less expensive and available, they provide less comfort, fit, and durability when compared to custom-made ones.
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FLEXIBLE DENTURES
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BRIDGES
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MOUTHGUARDS
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FILLINGS
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CROWNS
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CHILDRENS DENTISTRY
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DENTURE STABILISATION
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HYGIENIST
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ORAL CANCER SCREENING
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AIR ABRASION
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