Mouth Guards and Bruxism
At Appleton Dental Care, we focus on prevention in order to help our patients avoid many dental issues.
One aspect of prevention we take quite seriously is wearing a mouth guard for sports. Did you know that sports injuries or accidents account for 40% of dental emergencies?
Just wearing the right mouth guard could prevent many of these emergencies, and we’re happy to customize a mouth guard for your athlete. We actually fabricate our mouth guards right here at our office, which allows our doctors to ensure proper fit and a quick turnaround time.
The Benefits of a Custom Mouth Guard
You might think it’s easier or more cost effective to purchase a sports guard at the store; however, there are a few benefits that a custom made guard offers, such as:
- A more comfortable fit, which means the athlete is more likely to consistently wear the mouth guard
- Better prevention of jaw injuries
- Easier speaking and breathing
- Better prevention of concussions
If your child participates in sports, we want to help prevent injuries to their mouth and teeth from happening in the first place. Appleton Dental Care typically offers a mouth guard clinic in the fall in which local students can have a guard made at a reduced cost. Contact us for details and more information.
Treatment for Bruxism
We also make other types of mouth guards designed to help our patients who suffer from bruxism, the medical term for chronic teeth grinding. You may not even be aware that you clench or grind your teeth while you sleep; however, there are some consequences to leaving bruxism untreated, such as:
- Painful headaches or migraines
- Excessive wear, breakdown, or other damage to your teeth
- Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pain
An oral appliance you wear at night during sleep will help rotect your teeth from the damage caused by bruxism, and our doctors can customize and fabricate a mouth guard here at Appleton Dental Care for you.
Prevention Is the Key
We talk a lot about prevention here at Appleton Dental Care in order to help you successfully avoid many dental issues, and mouth guards are just another aspect of our preventative care.
When you come for your routine cleaning and checkups, we’ll also want to check your mouth guard to ensure that it’s still sufficiently protecting your teeth, as guards can develop wear over time. We’ll also discuss the need for a night guard with you at your six-month exam if we notice excess wear on your teeth.
If you’d like to learn more about our in-house sports guards and night guards, contact Appleton Dental Care today.
