At Modern Family Dentists LLC we like to think that learning something new every day is important. Today we are going to teach you something you may not know about mouth guards. They aren’t just for sports! They aren’t even just for grinding your teeth anymore.
While mouth guards serve both of those purposes extremely well, they also can help alleviate jaw pain while you sleep! For people who suffer from TMJ disorders or Temporomandibular disorders, a condition where you experience jaw and neck pain along with teeth grinding and sometimes even clicking noises when opening or closing the jaw, mouth guards can be a life saver.
Mouth guards are a piece of flexible, or sometimes hard plastic that is shaped to fit your bite. It keeps space between your teeth and can absorb shock and friction, either from a hit to a helmet or from jaw clenching or grinding. Those last two are two of the leading causes of TMJ disorders.
Wearing a mouth guard at night if you experience any of the symptoms of TMJ disorders can help you for longer than just the night. The effects of not grinding your teeth overnight last well into the day, especially if you and Dr. Aust come up with a stretching and strengthening program to help ease the symptoms of TMJ disorders.
Come schedule an appointment today to get fitted for a mouth guard and talk with Dr. Aust. You may find there is an explanation for your neck and jaw pain that you never knew existed!