Bruxism is a disorder in which you grind your teeth or clench them on a near nightly basis. The damage could then leave smiles vulnerable to tooth decay and even infected teeth. Fortunately, your Cerritos, CA, dentist can offer treatment with a custom and comfortable nightguard, one that safeguards your smile!
The Factors Behind Teeth Grinding
Bruxism could develop due to high levels of stress in your daily life, or as a result of complications that upset the balance of your bite and strain your jaw joints. These factors could include untreated TMJ disorder, missing teeth, injury to the jaw or face, or complications with the growth of your jaw or the eruption of your teeth. Our team will start treatment by examining your smile to assess the underlying factors. We then create a personalized treatment plan to bring relief and protect your teeth from injury, which often includes a custom nightguard.
The Warning Signs of Trouble
If you have a significant other, they may let you now that you grind your teeth at night. Otherwise, there are symptoms that occur in the waking hours that you should be aware of. For example, headaches and migraines, jaw and facial pain, and toothaches and tooth sensitivity are all common warning signs and shouldn’t be ignored. Otherwise, the disorder could wear down and crack/chip the teeth, changing the appearance of your smile and leaving it vulnerable to tooth decay and infection, as well as tooth loss in some cases.
Treatment with a Nightguard
For some people, we could recommend replacing missing teeth with a prosthetic, such as a dental implant or bridge. We could also use a crown or bonding to improve overall bite balance, and employ orthodontics to correct uneven teeth. But a custom nightguard is often the option we select to treat your bruxism and protect your smile. To begin, we will take detailed digital images of your teeth from multiple angles, and then combine them to create a 3D impression. In a lab setting, our team uses the impression to design a nightguard that is custom-fitted for your smile and worn as your sleep. The device repositions the jaw to ease bruxism and TMJ disorder, and also puts a barrier between the upper and lower sets of teeth to fight dental damage. We can use bonding or crowns to repair any damage that has occurred, restoring your smile’s function and beauty.
If you have any questions about how we diagnose and treat issues like bruxism, then contact our team today to learn more.
Do You Need a Custom Oral Appliance
Stopping teeth grinding can prevent damaged teeth and major oral health complications. Call your Cerritos, CA dentist’s office at (562)584-4082 to find out when you need treatment with a custom oral appliance.
